Photographer Claiborne Swanson Frank has an eye for feminine beauty, and a knack for spotting it at the upper stratum of American society. The daughter of a Napa Valley vintner and granddaughter of the founder of Swanson Foods (the company that brought us the ubiquitous TV dinner), she formed her vision of modern beauty and style while assisting Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Inspired by the strong, working women who she met in fashion, publishing, and business, the self-taught photographer turned her lens on her enterprising young friends to create a portfolio of sophisticated ladies who are making their mark across America. Her striking portraits of writers, models, singer/song-writers, winemakers, fashion executives, and philanthropists — with family names like Hearst, Bloomberg, Kennedy, Rockefeller, Lauder, and Bush — are currently on view at the Lu Magnus gallery on New York’s Lower East Side and compiled in a colorful, new monograph, published by Assouline. Click through a selection of our favorite photos of her posh pals.
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 15. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 23. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 19. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 16. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 7. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 17. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 8. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 26. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 22. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 11. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 13. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 14. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 9. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 25. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 21. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 1. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 4. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York
Claiborne Swanson Frank, American Beauty 18. Courtesy of the artist and Lu Magnus, New York