Dan Wynn (1920–1995) was an American editorial, portrait, and advertising photographer and film director. During his career, his work was published in many American magazines, including ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'', ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'', ''

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Co. (formerly Wyndham Destinations, Inc. and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation) is an American timeshare company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It develops, sells, and manages timeshare properties under several vacation ownershi ...

'', ''

Seventeen Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

'', '' Time'', '' Newsweek'', ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'', '' McCall's'' and '' Woman's Day''. He also provided covers for books, record albums, and international magazines (sometimes with himself as his model).

Life and work

Born in Chicago in 1920, his family moved to Los Angeles when he was twelve. He attended the Chouinard Art Institute alternating his education at the University of California. Serving in the US Army Air Force during World War II, Wynn learned how to take pictures and run a photo lab and, back in Los Angeles after the war, he attended the

Art Center School Art Center College of Design (stylized as ArtCenter College of Design) is a private art college in Pasadena, California. History ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 1930 in downtown Los Angeles as the Art Center School. In 1935, Fred R ...

: while still a student, there he won the Condé Nast Photo Contest. Wynn moved to New York in 1947 and got his editorial start at ''

'', where he quickly became successful shooting fashion. He went on to shoot major accounts for top advertising agencies including Revlon (with

Kay Daly Kathleen "Kay" Daly (8 January 1919 – 16 October 1975) was an Irish-born American advertising executive and one of the four "celebrated Daly sisters". At Norman, Craig & Kümmel she was the creative force behind the famous Maidenform "''I Dreame ...

) and memorable campaigns for clients as diverse as International Paper, Van Raalte and

Maidenform Maidenform Brands is a manufacturer of women's underwear, founded in 1922 by seamstress Ida Rosenthal; Enid Bissett, who owned the shop that employed her; and Ida's husband, William Rosenthal. They rebelled against the flat-chested designs of ...

(the famous "I dreamed I was ... in my Maidenform bra

, and Ford cars, while continuing his photojournalist work covering events such as Le Mans auto racin

Wynn's portraiture and photo essays included entertainers (

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...

, Dolly Parton), artists ( Salvador Dalí) musicians (

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

), television personalities ( Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar), movie stars (

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

, Dustin Hoffman,

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

), film directors, (

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

, Billy Wilder,

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more tha ...

), fashion models ( Suzy Parker and

Jane Fonda Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of various accolades including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, sev ...

in the early days of her career) and such national figures as president and Mrs. Lyndon Johnson, Rose Kennedy,

Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...

, Gloria Steinem and the very young Bill Gates (for a ''Newsweek'' cover). With

Malcolm Forbes Malcolm Stevenson Forbes (August 19, 1919 – February 24, 1990) was an American entrepreneur most prominently known as the publisher of ''Forbes'' magazine, founded by his father B. C. Forbes. He was known as an avid promoter of capitalism ...

, Wynn traveled the world photographing their trip in Forbes' private plane. Wynn was a long-standing member of ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers). His photography was recognized with numerous awards from the New York Art Directors Club, Communication Arts and the

American Institute of Graphic Arts The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity. T ...

, and in 1976 his photographs were included in '' The Family of Man'' photography exhibit at the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

. Dan Wynn's photography has been acquired by the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...

for their permanent collection and has been seen in New York City at the Bonni BenRubi Gallery among others, and the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Wynn's editorial spreads of beautiful people and places in international cities, pubs, vineyards, and restaurants brought him into contact with food writer James Beard. He first photographed Beard in 1963, and remained Beard's semi-official photographer until the latter's death, providing photographs for book covers, Beard's various articles, recipes and food columns. In the process, he became one of America's most renowned food photographers. Dan Wynn died in 1995 at age 75. Peter Kump, the founder of the James Beard Foundation, dedicated an obituary to Wynn in the foundation's newsletter in April 1995, and pledged his commitment to keeping Wynn's photography as a part of the foundation's heritage.

References

External links

*
The James Beard Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wynn, Dan 1920 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American photographers Photographers from Chicago Chouinard Art Institute alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II