The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 24, 2024
Fashion Ad for Coty Lipstick
1934–1935
(American, 1879–1973)
Image: 23.7 x 19.2 cm (9 5/16 x 7 9/16 in.); Paper: 25.1 x 20.2 cm (9 7/8 x 7 15/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2001.8
© The Estate of Edward Steichen / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Location: not on view
Description
Lipstick, inexpensive to make and to buy, added an affordable daily touch of glamour in an impoverished world. An influential fine art photographer, Steichen also worked in portraiture and fashion photography as well as advertising. His photographs for Coty were aspirational lifestyle ads exemplifying the luxury associated with cosmetics. This approach may have been an attempt to restore Coty’s image as a prestige brand. When the Depression hit, Coty’s American sales fell from $50 million in 1929 to $3.5 million in 1933. In response, the company slashed prices to appeal to a mass market, which undermined the prestige of the brand and nearly sank the company- Cleveland Museum of Art, “Accession List,” April 4, 2001, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
- From Riches to Rags: American Photography in the Depression. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 13-December 31, 2017).Icons of American Photography: A Century of Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 24-September 16, 2007).
- {{cite web|title=Fashion Ad for Coty Lipstick|url=false|author=Edward Steichen|year=1934–1935|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2001.8