Timeless Elegance: Rediscovering 40 Exquisite Fashion Photo Shoots from the 1940s by Constantin Joffé_Usoldstories

Constantin Joffé was born in Russia, and moved to France as a young man, at that time he joined the Volunteer French Foreign Legion and fought in WWII, he was captured and spent time in a concentration camp.

He spoke 5 languages, he was supposed to travel to the US on the Heindenburg, but missed the flight because he had to make a trip to the bathroom. He eventually made it to the US and became a professional photographer. He worked for Conde Nast and photographed fashion for Glamour Magazine.
He photographed the Marlborough Man, filmed the Hertz car commercials and filmed the first Joy dish washing commercial. He divided his career between fashion and commercial photography and film making. He moved to Florida in his later years, and died in 1992 after a long bout of Cancer.

ca. 1946 --- Model wearing Lilly Dache 'bonnet-coif' of flowers, feathers, and fruit.

01 Sep 1945, New York, New York, USA --- Woman Behind Frosted Glass

ca. April 1946, New York City, New York, USA --- Woman exiting taxi

ca. 1946 --- Model wearing Lilly Dache's toast-colored bare-browed sailor with tangerine bow

ca. 1944 --- Model wearing full-length dinner dress with trailing stole of gold and magenta by Joseph Halpert

ca. 1947 --- Model seated at makeup table wearing bronze top, shaded pearl beads, bronze silk scarf, with polished calf handbag and short white doeskin and longer cocoa doeskin gloves

ca. 1946 --- Model in red, white and blue rayon garbadine slack suit with bolero by Arrowhead

ca. 1946 --- Model crossing street wearing back-buttoned ermine cape on a side-buttoned suit of black Forstmann wool

ca. 1945 --- Model reading a library book, wearing a dark brown dress by Henry Rosenthal, in cashmere-type wool jersey, by Potter, cork color Boxlav gloves, Jewelry by Karu

ca. August 1945, New York, New York, USA --- Woman outside of bookstore

ca. 1945 --- Model in Milkmaid red currant lipstick, standing next to incandescent light

ca. 1946 --- Muriel King in brocaded grey rayon taffeta and white flowered evening suit

ca. December 1943, New York, New York, USA --- Model in fur coat holding a gift

ca. September 1944 --- Model in royal blue wool tweed coat

ca. 1944, Manhattan, New York, New York, USA --- Model listening to the guitar of Josh White at Cafe Society Downtown, wearing red and white gingham checked rayon jersey dress in by Henry Rosenfeld

1946, New York, New York, USA --- Woman in leopard print hat

ca. 1950 --- Model in soigne cotton brown dress, long orange gloves, hat, and flower on her lapel

ca. 1946 --- Model in cityscape wearing navy blue suit with Russian ermine trim from Kraus together with ermine hood by Sally Victor

ca. 1944 --- Model wearing polka-dotted wool dress from Claire McCardell

ca. 1945 --- Model in shiny white rayon faille evening dress by Emily Wilkins, green suede short gloves by Viola Weinberger

ca. 1946 --- Model in navy blue Ameritex rayon garbadine shorts and halter with Bandstand red stitching

1946, New York, New York, USA --- Woman in gingham dress with gifts

ca. 1945 --- Model in printed rayon dress of Belding Heminway's Spellbound by Ponemah with dog collar neckline, photographed at Donald Deskey's prefabricated cabin

ca. 1946 --- Model in white with black and lime striped play dress by Jeanne Barrie, sitting in a Willys Universal Jeep

ca. 1944 --- Model laying on couch holding dog in the air. She wears pink embroidered dress, and black rayon crepe basque top

1943, New York, New York, USA --- Woman with safe deposit box

1944, New York, New York, USA --- Woman writing in ledger book

ca. May 1945, New York, New York, USA --- Women in rayon pastel dresses

ca. April 1946, New York City, New York, USA --- Woman exiting taxi

ca. 1946 --- Model crossing street wearing back-buttoned ermine cape on a side-buttoned suit of black Forstmann wool

ca. 1944, New York, USA --- Model at the Marriage License Bureau in New York, wearing pale blue dress by Jeanne Barrie in spun rayon, gloves by Dawnell, bag by Ronay

ca. 1950 --- Chauffeur with car and map in hand talking to model wearing blue and black check tweed coat by Gaynes Inc.

ca. 1945 --- Model in brown faille dress by Colleen with bow bustle in back, laced midriff, sequins around low neckline matching long gloves

ca. May 1943, New York, New York, USA --- Girls in gingham dresses

New York City, New York, USA --- Woman Flirting in the Dark

ca. December 1945, New York, New York, USA --- Model in fleecy white coat

1946, New York, New York, USA --- Model in long blue dress with lute

ca. June 1946, New York, New York, USA --- Model in swimsuit with belt bag