Baron George Hoyningen-Huene, born September 4, 1900, was a fashion photographer of the 1920s and 1930s. He was born in Russia to Baltic German and American parents and spent his working life in France, England and the United States.
Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Hoyningen-Huene was the only son of Baron Barthold Theodor Hermann (Theodorevitch) von Hoyningen-Huene, a Baltic nobleman, military officer and lord of Navesti manor (near Võhma), and his wife, Emily Anne "Nan" Lothrop, a daughter of George Van Ness Lothrop, an American minister to Russia. He had two sisters. Helen became a fashion designer in France and the United States, using the name Helen de Huene. Elizabeth, also known as Betty, also became a fashion designer (using the name Mme. Yteb in the 1920s and 1930s).
By 1925 George had already worked his way up to chief of photography for French Vogue where he was mentor to up-and-coming photographers including François Tuefferd. In 1931 he met Horst, the future photographer, who became his lover and frequent model and traveled to England with him that winter. While there, they visited photographer Cecil Beaton, who was working for the British edition of Vogue. In 1931, Horst began his association with Vogue, publishing his first photograph in the French edition in November of that year.
In 1935 Hoyningen-Huene moved to New York City where he did most of his work for Harper's Bazaar. He published two art books on Greece and Egypt before relocating to Hollywood, where he earned a living by shooting glamorous portraits for the film industry.
Hoyningen-Huene worked in huge studios and with whatever lighting worked best. Beyond fashion, he was a portraitist of Hollywood stars and other celebrities.
He also worked in Hollywood in various capacities in the film industry, working closely with George Cukor, notably as special visual and colour consultant for the 1954 Judy Garland movie A Star Is Born. He served a similar role for the 1957 film Les Girls, which starred Kay Kendall and Mitzi Gaynor, the Sophia Loren film Heller in Pink Tights, and The Chapman Report.
In 1947, Huene was appointed to a teaching position at the University of California, which he held up to the time of his death. George Hoyningen-Huene died at 68 years of age in Los Angeles.
Reading Recommendations & Content Considerations
William A. Ewing George Hoyningen-Huene