Penn, Irving (1917– )

US fashion, advertising, portrait, editorial, and fine art photographer. In 1948 he made the first of many journeys to Africa and the Far East, resulting in a series of portrait photographs of local people, avoiding sophisticated technique. He was associated for many years with Vogue magazine in the USA. He has always been dedicated to the optimal presentation of his work and is a master printer of such processes as platinum-palladium and selenium-toned silver gelatin.

Penn began working at Vogue in 1940. Although he was hired to develop cover ideas, Penn photographed his first cover for the October 1943 issue; six decades later he was still working with the magazine. From fashion photography and celebrity portraiture, Penn branched out into several different genres. His publications include Moments Preserved (1960), Worlds in a Small Room (1974), and Passage (1991).