Wessel + O'Connor Fine Art is proud to present Bert
Morgan's dog show photographs from over 75 years ago in their first
ever gallery setting. This collection of b&w photos captures
the nostalgic charm and glamour of the society dog shows of the
1930s and 1940s, giving us an insiders look into the pomp and splendor
of a bygone way of life from an idealized American era of refined
leisure. They capture the highly pampered canines and owners in
their finest moments, at the glamorous dog shows where both were
at their dapper best.
A friend of the Rockefellers, Kennedys, Hearsts and Harrimans, Bert
Morgan became the photographer of choice for high society starting
in the 1930's. By promising never to publish an unflattering picture,
he gained unlimited access to this rarefied gilded-age world, which
he followed seasonally from Palm Beach to Cape Cod, Saratoga, and
the Hamptons. Nothing could equate with the luxurious rituals of
recreation more than the irresistible Pedigreed pets preening and
promenading here, all for the admiration of their owners—and
the judges.
Bert Morgan was born in England in 1904, came to America at age
seven and was raised in Brooklyn. He began his career at fifteen
syndicating photographs for the Chicago Tribune and the New York
Daily News. By 1930, he began taking his own photographs with a
camera he bought for a quarter. For five decades he would chronicle
High Society events and it's luminaries, as well as becoming the
official track photographer of the New York Racing Association.
His work was regularly published in magazines such as Vogue, Vanity
Fair, and Town & Country.
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"Jacqueline Bouvier & Tammy,
East Hampton Fair" 1939 © Bert Morgan / Getty Images
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All images are available in two different size prints: 12 x 16" or 16 x 20." They are from limited editions of 75.
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