Scope and Content Note
The papers of Antoinette Montgomery Frissell Bacon (1907-1988) span the years 1931-1975, with of the bulk of the material dating from 1941 to 1947. They document her work as a professional photographer, her photojournalism during World War II, and the activities of her photography office. The papers are organized into three series: Professional File , Personal File , and Oversize .
The Professional File series comprises the major portion of the Toni Frissell papers. It contains information about the creation, use, and exhibition of her photographs and the administrative and financial aspects of her photographic career. There are files pertaining to photographic assignments for Harper's Bazaar, Life, Sports Illustrated, and Vogue magazines dating from the 1940s through the 1960s. Among the material documenting her work for the fashion magazines Vogue and Harper's Bazaar is correspondence with editors Carmel Snow and Diana Vreeland. As a fashion photographer, Frissell was the first to photograph models in outdoor settings. Items relating to Frissell's photographic documentation of civilian and military activities in the United States and Europe during World War II include caption lists and control books, travel and identification documents, a diary, correspondence, and background material on military personnel. The wartime material covers her work with the American National Red Cross, the United States army forces, and the Office of War Information, as well as freelance work for various publications. Frissell's sports photography and her contacts with prominent individuals and families in the United States and Great Britain are additional features of her career that are documented in this series. Files relating to her portraits of Winston Churchill cover arrangements for photo shoots and the use of the photos; and those about photographing members of the Astor, Churchill, Kennedy, and Vanderbilt families contain letters from Clementine Churchill and Gloria Vanderbilt. Material concerning Frissell's photographs of the wedding of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier include a letter from Jacqueline Kennedy expressing her pleasure with the photographs. Additional letters from Jacqueline Kennedy are in the correspondence in the Personal File series. A series of daybooks chronicles the daily activities in Frissell's photography office from 1953-1970.
The Personal File series contains correspondence, biographical material, and items relating to family members. Photographs of Frissell at work are included among the correspondence.