Robert Barger and collection, 1949-1952, [1973]

Finding aid prepared by Celia Hartmann

This finding aid was generated using Archivists' Toolkit on October 24, 2018

The Costume Institute's Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 Fifth Avenue New York, NY, 10028 [email protected] Robert Barger and Jacques Fath collection, 1949-1952, [1973]

Table of Contents

Summary Information ...... 3 Biographical note...... 4 Scope and Contents note...... 5 Arrangement note...... 6 Administrative Information ...... 6 Related Materials ...... 6 Controlled Access Headings...... 7 Collection Inventory...... 8 Series I. Clippings and Sketches...... 8 Series II. Photographs...... 8

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Summary Information

Repository The Costume Institute's Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library

Title Robert Barger and Jacques Fath collection, 1949-1952, [1973]

Dates 1949-1952, [1973]

Extent 1.5 Linear feet : two boxes

Language English

Abstract The collection documents Parisian fashion designer Jacques Fath and American Robert Barger in photographs, newspaper and magazine clippings, and tear sheets. The photographs include studio shots of Barger modeling, candid photographs of each man alone, with each other, and with their respective families in social settings on board ship, in restaurants, and at private homes.

Preferred Citation note [Title of item], [date of item], Box [number], Folder [number], Robert Barger and Jacques Fath collection, The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library at The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Biographical note

Jacques Fath (1912-1954) was born in Maisons Lafitte, France, and educated at the Institut Commercial in Vincennes, which prepared him for his first job in a brokerage firm. Fath came from an artistic family and had dabbled in design and clothing construction. After completing his compulsory military service, he opened House of Fath in 1936, with Mme. Gulbenkian as premiere in a space at 32 rue la Boetie, , and showed its inaugural collection in 1937. Fath was drafted as gunner at the outbreak of war in September 1939, and was briefly held as a prisoner of war. At his discharge in August, 1940, he bought out Mme. Gulbenkian’s share of the firm, which a year later he moved to 39 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie. Film director Leonide Moguy, whom Fath met in a diction class, introduced him to model Genéviève Boucher de la Bruyère who had also served as secretary to Coco . They were married in 1939 and a son, Philippe, was born in 1943. Fath is generally considered among the big three twentieth century Parisian designers, together with and Balmain, but is less well known because of his early death at age 42. He is seen as the first couturier to introduce themed seasonal collections, which were often characterized by hyperfeminine, vamp styling. House of Fath models were among the first so-called super models, including Bettina to whom he gave her stage name. His assistants included at various times Hubert de , , and Valentino Garavan. Fath famously designed the wedding and trousseau for actress Rita Hayworth’s marriage to Prince Aly Khan. In the 1940s and 1950s Fath extended his brand to perfumes (Chasuble, Iris Gris, Canasta) and introduced a ready-to-wear line Jacques Fath-Université that was available, along with scarves, ties, and hosiery, in a boutique setting. As well as couture collections, he also designed for the cinema: Moira Shearer’s costumes in The Red Shoes (1948) as well as for Quai des Orfevres (1947) and Between Eleven and Midnight (1949). In 1945, Fath donated four pieces to the exhibition "Théâtre de la Mode", in which one hundred and seventy thirty-inch high wire dolls dressed by French couturiers in contemporary fashions were displayed on stage settings designed by artists, stage designers, and decorators. The installation at the Louvre’s Pavillon Marsan was a benefit for Entreaide Française, the central French agency that was coordinating war relief in France. The Faths used their extravagant lifestyle, including a weekend home at Chateau Corbeville outside Paris, to great advantage in gaining magazine and newspaper coverage for themselves and the House of Fath brand. Their three-month trip to the United States in 1948, especially Genevieve’s wardrobe and shoe choices, was covered in exquisite detail in Life Magazine. The trip eventuated in an agreement with Seventh Avenue manufacturer Joseph Halpert (1896-1959), under which Fath designed two collections per year of about twenty models each for exclusive department stores such as Neiman Marcus under the brand Jacques Fath for Joseph Halpert. In 1948, Fath received

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the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award. The couple’s lavish costume parties at Chateau Corbeville in the early 1950s were documented extensively by photographers including Robert Doisneau and David Seymour. Fath was diagnosed with leukemia in 1952 and died in 1954. Genevieve ran the House of Fath until 1957 when it ceased creation but continued to produce perfumes, gloves, hosiery, and accessories. The brand has since been bought and sold numerous times. American model Robert “Bob” Webster Barger (d. 2001) worked extensively in the early 1950s in New York, and advertisements featuring him appeared in print publications including Esquire, Gentleman’s Quarterly, The New York Times, and Women’s Day. He was at one time represented by New York’s Burke-McHugh (later Rice-McHugh) Agency, one of few modeling agencies to feature male models. Educated at New York’s Parson’s School of Design, Barger studied in Paris in the late 1940s, when he met the Faths. When the couple traveled to the United States in 1951 on a promotional trip for the Jacques Fath for Joseph Halpert line, Barger hosted them in Greensboro, NC, where he worked as an interior designer. Barger was associated with the House of Fath from 1951 to 1955, where he served variously as liaison with American buyers and as director of the Fath boutique. Like Fath, Barger was married, and he and his wife Marion had a son Freddy likely born in the early 1950s.

Scope and Contents note

The collection documents Parisian fashion designer Jacques Fath and American model Robert Barger in photographs, newspaper and magazine clippings, tear sheets, and a sketchbook. The photographs include studio shots of Barger modeling, candid photographs of each man alone, with each other, and with their respective families in social settings on board ship, in restaurants, and at private homes. There are publicity photographs of both men as well as images of unidentified men. Many of the photographs appear to have been previously glued to a backing. The clippings include those on pages removed from Barger’s professional portfolio, as well as loose tear sheets and clippings documenting Fath and his designs. The sketchbook includes Fath's studies of World War I fashion based on the publication L'Art et la Mode. A series of photographs documents one or more parties held at the time of the Battle of Versailles, a 1973 fashion face off between French and American designers. These postdate Fath’s death and do not contain images of Barger. No explanation is provided for their presence in the collection.

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Arrangement note

The collection is organized in two series by material type: Series I. Clippings, and Series II. Photographs.

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access note The collection is open for research; materials are stored offsite and advance notice of 48 hours is required. Collection contains photographs that should be handled with gloves.

Conditions Governing Use note Copyright restrictions apply. Consult Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library staff regarding permission to quote or reproduce.

Provenance The Barger scrapbook was acquired in 2004 from John D. Welch. Materials on Barger, Fath, and Halpert were acquired from Joseph Halpert’s widow, Catherine Halpert Winn, in 1991

Related Materials

Related Materials in Other Collections The Special Collections and College Archives at the Fashion Institute of Technology's Gladys Marcus Library holds similar publicity photographs and clippings documenting Jacques Fath and his designs, some of which duplicate items in this collection.

Related Materials in the Costume Institute's Collection

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The Costume Institute collection includes garments, hats, scarves, jewelry, and a Théâtre de la Mode doll designed by Fath.

Indexing Terms

Genres and Forms of Materials • Newspaper clippings • Periodicals • Photographs • Sketchbooks and albums

Occupation(s) • Fashion designers -- Press coverage

Subjects - People • Fath, Jacques, 1912-1954

Subjects - Topics • Fashion -- France -- Paris -- History -- 20th century • Fashion -- History -- 20th century • Fashion design -- France -- Paris -- History -- 20th century • Fashion design -- History -- 20th century • Photographs of men

- Page 7 - Robert Barger and Jacques Fath collection, 1949-1952, [1973] Series I. Clippings and Sketches

Collection Inventory

Series I. Clippings and Sketches

Scope and Contents note The series includes a few clippings and photoreproductions of promotional material for Fath, tearsheets in plastic pages from Barger’s modeling portfolio, as well as complete issues of magazines containing advertisements in which Barger appeared.

Box Folder 1 1 Barger. Album pages. 1957-1961 1 2 Barger. Loose tearsheets. 1960, 1964 2 1 Fath. Loose clippings. 1950s 2 2 Fath. Sketchbook. 1947

Series II. Photographs

Historical note Jacques and Genevieve Fath hosted extravagant, highly anticipated costume balls at Chateau de Corbeville, their country home outside Paris, which were part of the couple’s robust publicity efforts for themselves and the House of Fath brand. Guest lists were upwards of 400, including members of the press. The August 1950 ball had as its theme the American west and the square dance, and guests included designers and Jean Desses. The theme in June 1951 was Bal Blanc et Rubis: guests wore 18th century white costumes with ruby accessories amidst a décor informed by paintings by LaTour and Watteau. At the August 1951 ball, entitled “Hollywood 1925”, Fath was costumed as Charlie Chaplin in The Little Tramp, with his son as The Kid. The September 1952 “Carnival in Rio” ball publicized Brazilian fabrics, and Fath appeared as a “Pampa savage” nude to the waist. Guests included Orson Welles and Claudette Colbert, who were photographed at the event by David Seymour for Holiday Magazine; Ginger Rogers; and , who arrived on horseback. The “Battle of Versailles” was a 1973 fashion show in which five American designers - , Stephen Burrows, , , and - were invited to present their work alongside that of French designers Yves Saint Laurent, , , Emanuel Ungaro, and Pierre Cardin at the Palace of Versailles. The event was notable for the diversity of models, including Pat Cleveland, Bethann Hardison, and China Machado. At the event – described as the “fashion shot-heard-round-the-world” – American designers demonstrated that they could compete with old world European designers.

Scope and Contents note

- Page 8 - Robert Barger and Jacques Fath collection, 1949-1952, [1973] Series II. Photographs

The series include studio photographs of Barger modeling, candid photographs of each man alone, with each other, and with their respective families in social settings on board ship, in restaurants, and at private homes. There are publicity photographs of both men as well as images of unidentified men. Many of the photographs appear to have been previously glued to a backing.

Photographers represented in the collection include J Feneyrol (Cannes), Ra Cantu, George Platt Lynes (New York), Claude Anger, Francis Bay, Eugene Heil, Paul Facchetti, Charles Lido, Willy Maywald, Parnotte (Paris), Carlos, Jose Medeiros (Rio de Janeiro), and Hessler (Washington D.C.). A series of photographs documents one or more parties held at the time of the Battle of Versailles, a 1973 fashion face off between French and American designers. These postdate Fath’s death and do not contain images of Barger. No explanation is provided for their presence in the collection, nor is the photographer identified.

Box Folder 2 3 Barger. Fath, families, unidentified men. [1950s] 1 4 Barger. Modeling shots. [1950s] 2 5 Fath. Alpert, families, and others. [1950s] Note: These 12 photos are copies of those also found in the Special Collections of the Fashion Institute of Technology, and are accompanied by a list of captions provided by the donor, Catherine Halpert Winn.

2 4 Fath. Barger, friends, family. [1950s] Note: Photographs include Barger and Fath, alone and together at work and home, on shipboard, and at the beach; with their respective wives and family members; as well as other unidentified friends, mostly young men.

2 6 Fath. Chateau de Corbeville. Costume balls. 1951-1952 2 7 Fath. Chateau de Corbeville. Interior and exterior views. [1950s] Note: Interior and exterior shots, taken by Rio-based photographer "Carlos"

2 8 Fath. Design photographs. 1949-1952 3 Fath. Studio portrait. [1949] Note: Labeled "Taylor-Staley, Greensboro, NC".

Folder 2 9 Unidentified. Battle of Versailles parties. 1973 Note: This event post-dated Fath's death, and there is no explanation in the records of the photographer or the reason for the photographs' presence in the collection.

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