Anne Gunning (1929 – January 1990) was a British

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

model. Originally a

house model A model is a person with a role either to promote, display or advertise commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as a visual aid for people who are creating works of art or to pose for photography. Though mo ...

for

Sybil Connolly Sybil Connolly (24 January 1921 – 6 May 1998) was a Dublin-based fashion designer who was known for creating fashion from Irish textiles, including finely pleated linen, wools such as Báinín, Limerick and Carrickmacross lace, and later for ...

, she gained global recognition after being featured on the cover of ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'' magazine in 1953. She was one of the top models of the 1950s.

Biography

Born Anne Gunning Parker, possibly in

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kn ...

where her father, Arnold Barthrop Parker, was a coffee planter. She was of Irish descent, related to the Gunning sisters

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

and

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, while her father was of

Cuckfield Cuckfield ( ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Mid Sussex District, Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of the Weald. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeas ...

, West Sussex, England. Gunning returned to England from Southern Rhodesia following her parents' separation where he was raised by an aunt. Gunning became the house model of Sybil Connolly, who was introduced to America by

Carmel Snow Carmel Snow, born Carmel White (21 August 1887 – 7 May 1961), was the editor-in-chief of the American edition of ''Harper's Bazaar'' from 1934 to 1958; and the chair of the magazine's editorial board. She was famously quoted as saying, "E ...

. American photographer Milton H. Greene photographed her during his 1953 trip to Ireland, where he was shooting for Connolly. The 10 August 1953 cover of the ''Life'' magazine featured Anne Gunning in Connolly's red Kinsale cape and white crochet evening dress, with the headline "Irish invade fashion world". This cover helped the two women gain international recognition. Gunning went on to work with many notable photographers, including

Norman Parkinson Norman Parkinson (21 April 1913 – 15 February 1990) was an English portrait and fashion photographer. His work revolutionised British fashion photography, as he moved his subjects out of the studio and used outdoor settings. While servin ...

, John French and Mark Shaw. She and

Barbara Mullen Barbara Mullen (9 June 19149 March 1979) was an American born actress well known in the UK for playing the part of Janet McPherson, the housekeeper in ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook''. Although the role of Janet brought her fame in later years, she alre ...

accompanied Parkinson to India, on an assignment for ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

''. She also worked in Paris, New York City and London. Anne Gunning and Colin Tennant had a prolonged affair. In London, the two modelled for a feature for the French fashion magazine '' Au Jardin Des Modes'' (later featured in ''

Paris Match ''Paris Match'' () is a French-language weekly news magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. History and profile A sports news magazine, ''Match l'intran'' (a play on ''L'Intransigeant' ...

''). On 27 May 1961, Anne Gunning married British diplomat and Conservative Party politician

Anthony Nutting Sir Harold Anthony Nutting, 3rd Baronet (11 January 1920 – 23 February 1999) was a British diplomat and Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1945 and 1956. He was a Minister of State for Foreign Affairs from ...

Tiverton, Devon Tiverton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Devon, England, and the commercial and administrative centre of the Mid Devon district. The population in 2019 was 20,587. History Early history The town's name is conjectured to derive from "Twy-fo ...

. Anne Gunning limited herself to photographic modelling, despite requests from designers like

Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with popularizing a sporty, c ...

to be a part of their stage shows. She did only one

fashion show A fashion show ( French ''défilé de mode'') is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase their upcoming line of clothing and/or accessories during a fashion week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the Spring/Summer and Fa ...

– for Sybil Connolly – as a favour. She was

afraid To be afraid is to have the emotional response of fear to threats or danger. Afraid may also refer to: * "Afraid" (Mötley Crüe song), 1997 * "Afraid" (The Neighbourhood song), 2013 * "Afraid" (David Bowie song), 2002 * "Afraid", a song by Va ...

of falling down on the stage, and remarked, "that sea of faces glaring at me was too daunting." She died in January 1990

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunning, Anne 1929 births 1990 deaths Life (magazine) English models Nutting family