Women Then, Jerry Schatzberg: Photographs 1954-1969 (Rizzoli)
The Right Guy at the Right Time in the Right Place
Jerry Schatzberg was the guy, and the place was New York City at the dawn of the postmodern age-the 1950s to the 1970s. Stimulated by the post-war boom, this was an age of transformation punctuated by firsts in science, the arts, and civil rights. Women were also in a state of transition. Modern inventions were making their lives easier and society in general was becoming less formal.
By posing captivating couples playing chess in the park, or shopping together, the photographer was portraying women and men as peers. Just a decade earlier, photos like these would not have been believable.
The cultural liberation of the age can be seen as women boldly throw their skirts up, smoke cigarettes while staring hard into the eye of the camera, and live independently. This self-assurance was a new kind of beauty and Schatzberg captured its spirit…
