For more than half a century, Lillian Bassman’s lingerie-themed photographs have seduced the viewer, with their stark contrast, stunningly graceful figure lines, and vivid texture. The subject matter is, of course, compelling. What’s less obvious, though, is the work the famed fashion and fine-art photographer did to finish her images—processes that enticed clients such as Harper’s Bazaar and numerous lingerie advertisers in the 1940s and 50s. Just months after Bassman’s death at age 94, New York’s Staley-Wise Gallery has staged the exhibition Lillian Bassman: Lingerie, with an accompanying book from Abrams. VF.com spoke to Bassman’s daughter, Lizzie Himmel, to learn more about her late mother’s creative secrets, from her intimate sittings to her alchemistic methods in the darkroom—techniques so difficult to replicate from print to print that the images are truly one of a kind. Here, details of the process, from shutter click to chemical fix.

By Erica SingletonPhotographs by Lillian Bassman

 

Here are some of my favorites…