Photographer identifying - help!

[Ash]

Bit of a weird request but it's been bugging me for days. There was a photographer who (privately) took a LOT of photo's of prostitutes, when he died the images/negs were found and promptly placed in a big fat book that all the art critics labeled as amazing, wonderful, gods gift to eroticism etc.

I glanced through The Photo Book and lost the page marker for one man who used glass plates and scratched out a lot of the faces on the woman.

I'm SURE there's more than one photographer who did this. Can anyone remember the names of them?

I had a niggly feeling that they were Czech prostitutes, but at the same time Amsterdam is so popular that I'm not so sure the origin of the photo's/photographer.


Any help on the name of the photographer(s) would be a great help, at least to set my mind at rest!!!


---
MarkinLondon, Kully, your cheques are finally posted. Sorry for the delay🙂

 

[Jocko]

E.J. Bellocq was the fellow I think you're looking for, Ash (glass plates with scratched out faces) - his pictures, from the turn of the last century, were shot in New Orleans. His work inspired the film "Pretty Baby".

Cheers Ian

 

[Ash]

Ah yes, that sounds like the one from the photo book. So there weren't any other photographers who did the same?

Thanks Ian!

 

[markinlondon]

It sounds like Bellocq to me too, Ash. I think Ian's nailed this one. My bank will look forward to the cheque, I'll drop the lens in the post shortly.

 

[erudolph]

Weren't all the remaining glass plates bought by Lee Friedlander, who is responsible for the prints from them?

Ed

 

[ben lloyd]

Joan Colom took quite a few pics in Barcelona's red light district in 50s/60s.

 

[Jocko]

This is a really interesting essay, which explodes some of the sillier Bellocq myths, but is much more intriguing!

http://www.corpse.org/issue_10/gallery/bellocq/

Cheers, Ian

 

[kbg32]

Lee Friedlander is responsible for the prints from the glass plates.

 

[Ash]

Ian, very interesting reading. Thanks again 😉

 

[Ash]

I hear they make you wear a condom ((to take their photo)) these days 😀