In a photograph from the mid-1950s, German photographer Regina Relang captures haute couture at its most playful in a Parisian cafe. The image, which appeared in Vogue and other magazines, shows two women whose cocked hats and spiky eye makeup suggest an edgy dynamic of status and competition.
The scene is constructed like a tableau from Desmond Morris's 'The Human Zoo', with the intimacy of the window seat and the coffee cups speaking of friendship, while the beaky hat brims and the fall of light and shadow hint at pecking-order forces. One woman wears a rope of pearls, displayed across the dividing line of a window frame and Cinzano ashtray, while her friend looks on with downcast eyes, evoking a mix of disdain, envy or desire.
Relang, who moved between Berlin and Paris before and during the war, was a pioneer of playful narratives in fashion photography. Self-taught, she learned darkroom techniques from war photographer Robert Capa. Her work is featured in a new book and exhibition titled 'Female View', which celebrates women photographers who have challenged the male gaze, from Lee Miller and Madame d'Ora to contemporary Instagrammers.
'Female View: Women Fashion Photographers from Modernity to the Digital Age' is published by Hatje Cantz (£38).
