"Thanksgiving Table With Turkey": The Carbro Process

(Photo by Richard (Dick) C. Miller )

"Daughter Linda At Thanksgiving Table With Turkey, Saturday Eve". Dick shot this image of his daughter Linda as a one-shot Carbro print that was built into the final cover for the Post. Dick did this by making multiple shots and carbros of various items such as the turkey, cranberry sauce and tableware, cutting and pasting the images together and re-shooting and reprinting the final carbro. Because that image became the first photograph to displace Norman Rockwell on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, when Dick told Paul Hesse, who had tried unsuccessfully for years to sell the Post a cover, Paul said that Dick was lying, since he believed that it was impossible to sell the Post a photograph. But Dick wasn't lying and it became a cover in 1941, launching Dick's commercial carreer.

The Carbro Process by Paul Martineau

Over a decade before the 1935 introduction of Kodachrome colour film by Eastman Kodak, a subtractive colour process was developed that made it possible to create vivid prints from black & white negatives. The tricolour carbro transfer printing process - or carbro - demanded strict technical control but produced highly-saturated and permanent colour prints.

BECAUSE OF its complexity and high expense (some practitioners reported a finished print took about 10 hours to produce at a cost of $125), the carbro process was rarely the province of the amateur. By 1937, full colour illustrations made from direct colour prints were being used regularly in the big subscription magazines such as Ladies’ Home Journal, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and House Beautiful. Colour photography in the form of carbro prints was also being shown in museums and in popular touring exhibitions. In the United States, photographers Anton Bruehl, Nickolas Muray, Paul Outerbridge, Edward Steichen, and H.I. Williams, among others, became identified with the quality and artistry of their carbro prints through a participation in these publications and exhibitions. The demand for colour advertising photography was such that a few of the top photographers regularly commanded prices ranging from $300 to $1000 per print. Continue reading here.

PEOPLE MAGAZINE ELIZABETH TAYLOR SPECIAL ISSUE CORRECTION!

The special issue of People magazine dedicated to Elizabeth Taylor had a wealth of great photographs of the iconic star, including this classic by Richard C. Miller:

James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor take a weekend break in Houston from filming "Giant", 1955

Unfortunately, as many of our friends have pointed out, much of the caption information in the special issue was wrong. Eagle-eyed readers noted that People was off on a few details -  it was not Dallas, it was Houston. It was not the set, since the set of Giant was in Marfa. It was at a friend's home in Houston.

This photograph is included in the current exhibition "Richard C. Miller: 1912 - 2010" through April 24. Come see it! 

RICHARD C. MILLER EXHIBIT ON ARTSLANT

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RICHARD C. MILLER: 1912 - 2010 A RETROSPECTIVE
Monroe Gallery of Photography
112 Don Gaspar , Santa Fe 87501
February 11, 2011 - April 24, 2011


Monroe Gallery of Photography is pleased to present a retrospective exhibition of photographs by Richard C. Miller, who passed away at age 98 on October 15, 2010. The exhibition opens on Friday, February 11, 5 - 7 PM. The exhibition continues through April 24. Born in 1912, Richard C. Miller's interest in photography grew from toying with his father's 3 1/4" x 4 1/4" folding roll-film camera. In 1935, Miller showed his photographs to Edward Steichen who praised and encouraged him to work in photography. Beginning in 1946, he would shoot celebrities for the Saturday Evening Post, Family Circle, Parents, American Weekly, Colliers, Life and Time.

From 1955 to 1962, Miller was on retainer at Globe Photos, covering the entertainment industry and more than seventy films. After this stint he returned to freelance and became friends with celebrities such as James Dean. Never one for self-promotion, Miller rarely exhibited his work; the work, he figured, should speak for itself. In the spring of 2009, Richard C. Miller's photographic career was given long overdue recognition with an exhibition at the Getty Museum.

In addition to his Hollywood photographs, the exhibition includes a trove of vintage pictures from the 1930s-50s of Los Angeles. When Miller documented the construction of the four-level freeway interchange in mid-20th century downtown Los Angeles, he was overwhelmed by its man-made beauty.

In 1946, Dick photographed a model: Norma Jeane Dougherty. He would later photograph her as Marilyn Monroe on the set of "Some Like It Hot". The exhibit also includes a selection of striking portraits including some of his best friends Edward Weston and Brett Weston.

The exhibit also includes a selection of striking portraits including some of his best friend Edward Weston and Brett Weston.

In addition to his Hollywood photographs, the exhibition includes a trove of vintage pictures from the 1930s-50s of Los Angeles. When Miller documented the construction of the four-level freeway interchange in mid-20th century downtown Los Angeles, he was overwhelmed by its man-made beauty.

Although he was shy, Miller was known for his warmth and eagerness to share his knowledge. A younger generation of photographers have worked to bring Miller recognition. "He was like 007 with a gun over his shoulder," family friend Michael Andrews told The Los Angeles Times in 2010. "The camera went everywhere. He must have climbed to the top of buildings, hiked up hills to get some of these perspectives."

Richard C. Miller passed away on October 15, 2010 at the age of 98.


(Images: Richard C. Miller, Marilyn Monroe,"Some Like it Hot"; Nude,1949 #2, Pigment Print, 20 x 24 inches; Freeway Construction, 4 Level, 1950, Pigment Print, 20 x 24 inches; Rock Hudson,1959, Pigment Print ,20 x 24 inches; Courtesy of Monroe Gallery of Photography)


Posted by Abhilasha Singh on 2/21

RICHARD C. MILLER EXHIBITION PREVIEW ON GALLERY NEWS

Richard C. Miller: Watching TV Fights, Nicholson's, Sunset Boulevard, 1949



Gallery News is heard every Thursday and Friday at 8:55am on KHFM-Classical 95.9 FM and 102.9 FM. It is also available as a podcast at the iTunes Store.

Mid-February is fast approaching and that means Valentineʼs Day for galleries in  Santa Fe and Albuquerque. This is Gallery News for Thursday, February 10.

Monroe Gallery of Photography presents a retrospective exhibition of photographs by Richard C. Miller, who recently passed away at age 98. For decades, Millerʼs photos graced the covers of Americaʼs leading magazines. The opening reception takes place tomorrow Friday, from 5 - 7 PM. Monroe of Photography is located at 112 Don Gaspar in downtown Santa Fe.

Thanks for listening. Iʼll be back tomorrow with more Gallery News. For the Collectorʼs Guide, Iʼm Kevin Paul.
 
Related: Richard C. Miller: A Retrospective

SANTA FE WINTER FIESTA 2011



The first annual Santa Fe Winter Fiesta takes place February 18 - 27, 2011 throughout Santa Fe's historic streets and in the nearby Rocky Mountains. Each day will be a celebration of the season with daily special events focusing on Santa Fe's bountiful outdoor opportunities, Native American and Spanish cultures, the region's savory and diverse cuisine, the city's performing arts, and Santa Fe's endless fine arts. See here for details. Ticket information here.


The festival will conclude with the 14th Annual ARTfeast, one of Santa Fe's most popular annual events. ARTfeast is the annual fundraising event for ARTsmart, which was founded in 1993 to address the lack of funding for art programs and supplies in Santa Fe public schools. In a city built on and sustained by the arts, ARTsmart is committed to funding the creative thinkers of tomorrow.  ARTsmart has distributed just under $835,000 through 2010 to ARTsmart projects, public school programs, art related organizations and endowment funds.

Be sure to get an early start on the Fiesta and join us February 11, from 5 - 7 PM, for the opening reception for Richard C. Miller: A Retrospective at Monroe Gallery.

RICHARD C. MILLER: 1912 - 2010

We are very pleased that our forthcoming exhibition is featured in the February/March issue of The Santa Fean magazine, just out this week.

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openings  reviews  people



The Monroe Gallery of Photography (112 Don Gaspar, 505-992-0800, monroegallery.com), where this Richard C. Miller picture of a relaxed-in-her-gorgeousness Marilyn Monroe (from the set of the 1959 Bill Wilder classic Some Like It Hot) can be found, specializes in iconic imagery: Ellis Island in its neglected beauty, the Civil Rights movement, the famous, the infamous. But as with this color image of Marilyn, the photographer(s) at Monroe's rarely if ever seek to capitalize or promote celebrityhood or nostalgia, they're after those ineffable Garry Winogrand-type moments of the unexpected, the off-guard, the interstitial, which reveal far more about time, place, and people than anything posed or staged, such as this very human, very lovely side of a woman whose fans and handlers rarely allowed to be human or lovely. -- Devon Jackson

RICHARD C. MILLER: 1912 - 2010

A RETROSPECTIVE

Fenruary 11 - April 24

View the exhibition here.

RICHARD CRUMP MILLER: August 6, 1912 - October 15, 2010

Richard C. Miller James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor take a break from filming "Giant"

It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Richard C. Miller. Miller was an American photographer best known for his vintage carbro prints, photos of celebrities, and work documenting the building of the Hollywood Freeway.

Photographer Richard C. Miller poses on a shoot with model Norma Jeane Dougherty in 1946. He would later photograph her again more than a decade later, when she was known as Marilyn Monroe, on the set of "Some Like It Hot."

Richard Miller's interest in photography began when he was a child and toyed with his father’s 3¼x4¼ folding roll-film camera.  His passion for photography led to his increase in knowledge about established photographers, and when he found out Edward Weston was moving nearby he went over to introduce himself. The rest was history. (See more of Miller's biography here.)

There was a resurgence of interest in Miller's photography in spring 2009, when a collection of his images was shown alongside the work of Paul Outerbridge at the J. Paul Getty Museum.  (See the Los Angeles Times article about selections for the exhibit here.) Monroe Gallery of Photography began to represent his work that same year, and featured his photographs from the making of "Giant" at Photo LA in January, 2010.


Read the Los Angeles Times obituary here.

Listen to Richard C. Miller in an interview "Breakthrough Photographer" with Patt Morrison on 89.3 KPCC, recorded on April 2009 and aired 3 July 2009, here.

See more of Richard C. Miller's photographs here.

Richard C. Miller: James Dean besides his car during the filming of "Giant"