Legendary New York Times photographer of fashion and all things New York, seen here in his iconic blue jacket and riding one of the 30 bicycles that he owned in his almost 40 years with the Times, died Saturday at age of 87
For many of us, that not only frequent New York City during fashion’s high moments but are faithful readers of the Sunday Times in our own homes, we will greatly miss the man, who made it all so interesting, creative and fun to watch. I know for me, his On The Street and Evening Hours columns are my first glance at the Times each Sunday. Bill Cunningham has been an iconic fixture on the streets of NYC and sitting obscurely on front row in many of the biggest shows in town for NYFashion Week for years. The amazing thing about Bill was that he always did it his way! Very unassuming, very quick and without any attention to himself. He has in fact become a celebrity in his own right and that was a handle that he clearly was uncomfortable with.
He had such a unique talent for seeking out the looks of fashion from the highest end to the eccentrics. I remember from watching his documentary, when asked if when he went out to the streets of NY on his legendary bicycle, if he had a purpose or a look in mind when he headed out. His reply was “no, I just start looking and taking photos of interesting people, not the celebs that get free dresses, but real people. I let the street talk to me and then it all takes shape as I’m doing it!”
He lived very humbly until 2010 in an old studio above Carnegie Hall where he slept on a cot amongst all of his negatives and even had to shower in a shared bathroom down the hall. He was not in it for wealth he was in for his passion, which showed in just the sheer joy of seeing him get that shot on the street that he wanted. I personally saw him so many times on the street and even took a photo once of him taking a photo of me outside of Lincoln Center, such fun and my joy just reflected all over his face!
The New York Times, in their Sunday, June 26 issue, the day after his passing from a stroke, told the story of Bill Cunningham’s life as we were so used to seeing it each weekend through his infamous, “On the Street” article in the paper. They chronicled his career that included many honors…..2008, the Legion of Honor by French government in Paris; CFDA honors where he rode his bicycle onto the stage to accept and in 2009, he was declared a New York Landmark and more.
Bill liked to be invisible when he was shooting. He felt that was his way of capturing the creative and very personal style of the person he was shooting. As he said in the NYT article on his life and career….”i look for the subtleties, the way an umbrella may be carried or a coat held closed. At a party it is essential to be invisible to get the intensity of their speech and the gestures of their hands. I’m interested in capturing a moment with animation and spirit.”
He was a fixture of New York Fashion Week and adored by so many, none other than the woman who many called his muse, Anna Winter, who was quote in the documentary, “We all dress for Bill”.
I am such a personal follower of all things Bill and would always check out on Sundays in the paper just what he was noticing as he was more than just ‘on it’ he was usually ‘ahead of it’. I have many of these ripped out of the paper and saved but this one is hanging on my inspiration board in my office…..could RED be a big color? Bill thinks so…..
Also, in my office I have a well-known ‘Wall of Fame’…..you can see from this snap the dominance this movie poster of Bill Cunningham’s New York documentary poster has on that wall. I loved the film so much and found it so inspirational that I not only own it but talked the Museum of Fine Arts Houston into letting me buy their only poster of the film…..framed and hanging on the wall across from my desk. It was not only inspirational but so cool now to have this memory!
A closer look of the film poster, shows many of the highlights from it. Interesting enough and not surprising Bill did not want to be a part of this film……was far too modest for this, delayed or cancelled many photo shoots for it and to the day he passed away, swore he had never seen it. However, for you all that followed and loved this man, you should watch it. It’s on Amazon to purchase right here or to just rent on Amazon Prime if you wish.
RIP Bill Cunningham
1929-2016
photos courtesy of New York Times and Roz Pactor
