Skip to main content

Jack Mitchell Photography

American, 1925-2013

Over his four-decade career, photographer Jack Mitchell chronicled the changing cultural landscape of mid- to late-20th-century America by capturing the greatest influencers and innovators in the performing and visual arts.

Mitchell, a master of lighting patterns in photography who had his first portrait published at the age of 15, organized more than 5,400 photographic sessions in his lifetime involving a list of sitters that is as astounding as it is long. A veritable roll call of heroes and idols, his studio guests include painters, dancers, actors, comedians, singers, composers, directors, writers, impresarios and anyone else who helped shape the zeitgeist.

During World War II, when he was only 16 years old, Mitchell photographed Veronica Lake for a Daytona newspaper. It was his first celebrity gig, but that didn’t stop the audacious wunderkind from asking the actress to sweep back her signature “peekaboo” locks so he could get her full face in the frame. Lake, who was in Florida to help the war effort and at the peak of her career, politely obliged, and the two later became lifelong friends.

Mitchell, who was openly gay (his long-term partner and manager, Robert Plavik, died in 2009), also struck up a close relationship with Gloria Swanson. From 1960 to 1970, he served as her personal paparazzo, snapping a variety of “candid” shots of the aging but eternally glamorous actress as if she were a pre-mobile/pre-social-media reality star.

The diverse publications in which Mitchell’s work has appeared — in addition to the New York Times, there’s Rolling Stone, Dance Magazine, People, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Time, Harper’s Bazaar and Newsweek — testify to the power of his arresting visual language and its ability to transcend themes and disciplines.

Mitchell also famously shot a series of intimate portraits of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in November 1980, just one month before the Beatles singer was assassinated. A picture from this session became the cover of People’s memorial issue, one of the magazine’s best-selling editions to date.

The showbiz gloss should not distract from Mitchell’s meticulous approach to photography. He insisted on producing his own prints in order to achieve what he deemed museum-quality patina and definition.

“Jack shot many rolls of black-and-white film, and always some color transparencies, of every famous person he photographed,” says Craig Highberger, a friend of the late photographer and the executive director of the Jack Mitchell Archives.

In the world of dance, the field for which Mitchell is best known, his striking and incisive shots of legendary performers and choreographers reflect the visceral energy that these luminaries introduced to the discipline in the 1960s and ’70s, widely considered the Golden Age of American dance theater.

“Jack’s photographs of dancers during his lifetime are a historic chronicle of an amazing period in dance history. He was Alvin Ailey’s dance company photographer from 1961 to 1994,” says Highberger, noting that Mitchell’s collection of 10,000 black-and-white Ailey prints now belongs to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Mitchell’s dance images are at once ethereal and powerfully dynamic. Not only do they evoke movement through elegant poses and disciplined muscular tension, but they also convey an intimate energy radiating directly from his subjects, as if he had magically unlocked a reflective mood or a character trait, without contrivance.

The collection of authentic Jack Mitchell photography on 1stDibs includes his black and white photography, color photography, nude photography and more.

to
1,152
997
165
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1,155
7
11
341
514
205
84
1,108
20
13
3
1
810
352
1,151
749
694
590
560
463
394
270
263
160
119
81
78
78
68
67
59
38
34
32
1,118
39
33
6
5
10,623
2,822
2,495
1,414
5
1,162
Artist: Jack Mitchell
Operatic tenor Harry Theyard 'Seige of Corinth' at the MET, signed by Mitchell
Operatic tenor Harry Theyard 'Seige of Corinth' at the MET, signed by Mitchell

Operatic tenor Harry Theyard 'Seige of Corinth' at the MET, signed by Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph, of Operatic tenor Harry Theyard performing "Seige of Corinth" at the Metropolitan Opera in 1975. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print vers...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dancer/Choreographer Twyla Tharp studio portrait, 1973.
Dancer/Choreographer Twyla Tharp studio portrait, 1973.

Dancer/Choreographer Twyla Tharp studio portrait, 1973.

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

Dancer/Choreographer Twyla Tharp studio portrait, 1973. This is an 8 x 10" vintage silver gelatin photograph that was published by a newspaper or magazine ...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author Toni Morrison, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author Toni Morrison, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author Toni Morrison, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

This photograph of Pulitzer-Prize winning author Toni Morrison was taken in 1979. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This exhibition print is 17 x 22". Comes direct ...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Choreographer Louis Falco in 'Timewright' costume by Robert Indiana
Choreographer Louis Falco in 'Timewright' costume by Robert Indiana

Choreographer Louis Falco in 'Timewright' costume by Robert Indiana

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of dancer/choreographer Louis Falco in a costume designed and constructed by artist Robert Indiana for the starring role in 'Timewright', 1...

Category

1960s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Paul Taylor Dance Company Performing
Paul Taylor Dance Company Performing

Paul Taylor Dance Company Performing

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Paul Taylor Dance Company in performance, 1991. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a c...

Category

1990s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dancer/Choreographer Paul Taylor and Company Performing 'Orbs'
Dancer/Choreographer Paul Taylor and Company Performing 'Orbs'

Dancer/Choreographer Paul Taylor and Company Performing 'Orbs'

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Dancer/Choreographer Paul Taylor and Company Performing 'Orbs', 1966. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate ...

Category

1960s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Merce Cunningham Performing with his Dance Company
Merce Cunningham Performing with his Dance Company

Merce Cunningham Performing with his Dance Company

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Merce Cunningham with dancers performing in 1984. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity. J...

Category

1980s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Lucas Hoving Dance Company performing 'Icarus'
Lucas Hoving Dance Company performing 'Icarus'

Lucas Hoving Dance Company performing 'Icarus'

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Lucas Hoving Dance Company performers Nancy Lewis, Chase Robinson, and Lucas Hoving in "Icarus" in 1965. Comes directly from the Jack Mi...

Category

1960s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Louis Falco Iconic Pose 1972
Louis Falco Iconic Pose 1972

Louis Falco Iconic Pose 1972

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Glenford, NY

Jack Mitchell vintage mid-20th Century photograph of modern dancer Louis Falco in his most iconic pose in 1972. Copyright stamped and dated 1972 and personally signed by Jack Mitchel...

Category

1970s Modern Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dancer Bill McCourt
Dancer Bill McCourt

Dancer Bill McCourt

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of dancer Bill McCourt, 1972. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Academy Award-winning actor & director Warren Beatty, signed exhibition print
Academy Award-winning actor & director Warren Beatty, signed exhibition print

Academy Award-winning actor & director Warren Beatty, signed exhibition print

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

Academy Award-winning actor & director Warren Beatty, photographed in 1978. This is a vintage gelatin silver print, selenium toned, made by hand by master photographer Jack Mitch...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Academy Award-Winning Actor Christopher Walken, signed by Jack Mitchell
Academy Award-Winning Actor Christopher Walken, signed by Jack Mitchell

Academy Award-Winning Actor Christopher Walken, signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph, of Academy Award-winning actor Christopher Waken in 1973. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchel...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dancer & choreographer Blondell Cummings, signed by Jack Mitchell.
Dancer & choreographer Blondell Cummings, signed by Jack Mitchell.

Dancer & choreographer Blondell Cummings, signed by Jack Mitchell.

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of dancer and choreographer Blondell Cummings performing in 1991. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly from the Jack...

Category

1960s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Modern dancer & choreographer Bill Cratty performing, signed by Jack Mitchell.
Modern dancer & choreographer Bill Cratty performing, signed by Jack Mitchell.

Modern dancer & choreographer Bill Cratty performing, signed by Jack Mitchell.

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of modern dancer/choreographer Bill Cratty photographed in 1981. Signed in pencil on the reverse by Jack Mitchell and numbered 2/25. Comes ...

Category

1980s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Jose Limon and Company performing "The Moor's Pavane", signed by Jack Mitchell
Jose Limon and Company performing "The Moor's Pavane", signed by Jack Mitchell

Jose Limon and Company performing "The Moor's Pavane", signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Jose Limon, Pauline Koner, Lucas Hoving, Betty Jones performing his ballet "Moor's Pavane" at Jacob's Pillow, 1951. Signed by Jack Mitch...

Category

1950s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dancer/choreographer Blondell Cummings, signed by Jack Mitchell
Dancer/choreographer Blondell Cummings, signed by Jack Mitchell

Dancer/choreographer Blondell Cummings, signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of dancer/choreographer Blondell Cummings. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with ...

Category

1990s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Paul Taylor and his dancers performing 'Private Domain' signed by Jack Mitchell
Paul Taylor and his dancers performing 'Private Domain' signed by Jack Mitchell

Paul Taylor and his dancers performing 'Private Domain' signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Dancer/Choreographer Paul Taylor "and his dancers performing 'Private Domain' in 1969. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes...

Category

1960s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Artist & Photographer Cecil Beaton, signed by Jack Mitchell
Artist & Photographer Cecil Beaton, signed by Jack Mitchell

Artist & Photographer Cecil Beaton, signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of British artist and photographer Cecil Beaton on a visit to Manhattan in 1966. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Artist Jack Brusca, studio portrait
Artist Jack Brusca, studio portrait

Artist Jack Brusca, studio portrait

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of artist Jack Brusca, 1969. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity.

Category

1960s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dancer Kirk Peterson, nude, signed by Jack Mitchell
Dancer Kirk Peterson, nude, signed by Jack Mitchell

Dancer Kirk Peterson, nude, signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph, signed by Jack Mitchell. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity. This photograph was from a se...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Large format vintage multiple exposure male nude, signed by Jack Mitchell
Large format vintage multiple exposure male nude, signed by Jack Mitchell

Large format vintage multiple exposure male nude, signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

16 x 20" vintage silver gelatin photograph, multiple exposure male nude. Titled, numbered, dated, and signed by Jack Mitchell on the recto. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity. Jack Mitchell's artist’s statement on this project: For five decades in New York City I photographed established and emerging creative and performing artists for major publications. The Numbered Nudes photographs are a development, and expansion, of my dance photography...

Category

1990s Abstract Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein and his wife Dorothy. Signed By Jack Mitchell
Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein and his wife Dorothy. Signed By Jack Mitchell

Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein and his wife Dorothy. Signed By Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein and his wife Dorothy in his New York studio in 1968. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes direc...

Category

1960s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Artist Louise Nevelson, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
Artist Louise Nevelson, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph

Artist Louise Nevelson, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

This photograph of artist Louise Nevelson was taken in 1974 in Nevelson's home in Manhattan. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This exhibition print is 17 x 22". Co...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti performing in full costume for 'La Bohème' at the MET
Tenor Luciano Pavarotti performing in full costume for 'La Bohème' at the MET

Tenor Luciano Pavarotti performing in full costume for 'La Bohème' at the MET

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Tenor Luciano Pavarotti, performing in full costume for' La bohème' at the Metropolitan Opera, 1976. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity. Jack Mitchell, (1925-2013) bulging photographic portfolio of actors, writers, painters, musicians and especially dancers describes a pictorial history of the arts in the late 20th century. Mr. Mitchell, who took hundreds of pictures for The New York Times, was both a portraitist and a capturer of complex motion. An expert in lighting, he worked mostly, though not entirely, in black and white, and he was known — by his subjects, by the magazine and newspaper editors he worked for, and by critics — as someone who could make a photograph reveal character. Jack Mitchell was the official photographer for the American Ballet Theater, and he chronicled the work of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for more than thirty years. When he retired in 1995, he had fulfilled more than 5,000 assignments in black and white, and nearly a thousand in color. He photographed more than 160 covers for Dance magazine, and his photos have appeared in Time, Life, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Vogue and many other publications. Mitchell’s photographs are in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, among others. The 2019 USPS Black Heritage postage stamp honoring American performer Gregory Hines...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Arnold Schwarzenegger 'After Dark' magazine, Color 17 x 22"  Exhibition Photo
Arnold Schwarzenegger 'After Dark' magazine, Color 17 x 22"  Exhibition Photo

Arnold Schwarzenegger 'After Dark' magazine, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photo

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

Professional bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger posing at the top of his form in October 1976 for a cover and feature article in After Dark magazine. One of Mitchell's most beautiful ...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Warhol Superstars Candy Darling & Dorian Gray (nude), signed by Jack Mitchell
Warhol Superstars Candy Darling & Dorian Gray (nude), signed by Jack Mitchell

Warhol Superstars Candy Darling & Dorian Gray (nude), signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Warhol Superstars Candy Darling and Dorian Gray (nude) photographed for After Dark Magazine, June 21, 1971. Signed by Jack Mitchell in p...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Rudolf Nureyev photographed playing the piano during a rehearsal break
Rudolf Nureyev photographed playing the piano during a rehearsal break

Rudolf Nureyev photographed playing the piano during a rehearsal break

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Rudolf Nureyev photographed playing the piano during a rehearsal break in 1962. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a c...

Category

1960s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dancer Kirk Peterson, nude, signed by Jack Mitchell
Dancer Kirk Peterson, nude, signed by Jack Mitchell

Dancer Kirk Peterson, nude, signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph, signed by Jack Mitchell. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity. This photograph was from a se...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Arnold Schwarzenegger Iconic Portrait for 'After Dark' Signed by Jack Mitchell
Arnold Schwarzenegger Iconic Portrait for 'After Dark' Signed by Jack Mitchell

Arnold Schwarzenegger Iconic Portrait for 'After Dark' Signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

Bodybuilder (and future film star and Governor of California) Arnold Schwarzenegger, photographed at the top of his form for After Dark magazine on October 5, 1976. Vintage silver g...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Arnold Schwarzenegger 'After Dark' magazine, Color 17 x 22"  Exhibition Photo
Arnold Schwarzenegger 'After Dark' magazine, Color 17 x 22"  Exhibition Photo

Arnold Schwarzenegger 'After Dark' magazine, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photo

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

Professional bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger posing at the top of his form in October 1976 for a cover and feature article in After Dark magazine. One of Mitchell's most beautiful ...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Male model Milton Dean multiple exposure nude, signed by Jack Mitchell
Male model Milton Dean multiple exposure nude, signed by Jack Mitchell

Male model Milton Dean multiple exposure nude, signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph, signed by Jack Mitchell. Mitchell dry mounted this photograph on archival board for exhibition. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Arc...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Warhol Superstars Joe Dallesandro & Sylvia Miles in 'Heat' nude for 'After Dark'

Warhol Superstars Joe Dallesandro & Sylvia Miles in 'Heat' nude for 'After Dark'

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

Warhol superstars Joe Dallesandro and Sylvia Miles nude in Andy Warhol’s ‘Heat’, 1971, for After Dark magazine. This is an 8 x 10" vintage silver gelatin photograph that was publishe...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dancer and choreographer John Clifford, signed by Jack Mitchell
Dancer and choreographer John Clifford, signed by Jack Mitchell

Dancer and choreographer John Clifford, signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph, signed by Jack Mitchell. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity. This photograph was from a se...

Category

1970s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

CBS News anchor Dan Rather
CBS News anchor Dan Rather

CBS News anchor Dan Rather

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of CBS News anchor Dan Rather, 1980. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenti...

Category

1980s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Dancer/Choreographer Lar Lubovitch
Dancer/Choreographer Lar Lubovitch

Dancer/Choreographer Lar Lubovitch

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

8 x 10" vintage silver gelatin photograph of dancer, choreographer Lar Lubovitch photographed in 1964. This is a print that was published by a newspaper ...

Category

1960s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Artist Julian Schnabel  in his studio, signed by Jack Mitchell
Artist Julian Schnabel  in his studio, signed by Jack Mitchell

Artist Julian Schnabel in his studio, signed by Jack Mitchell

By Jack Mitchell

Located in Senoia, GA

11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of artist Julian Schnabel in his studio, 1986. Numbered 2/20 and signed by Jack Mitchell on print verso. Comes directly from the Jack Mit...

Category

1980s Pop Art Jack Mitchell Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Jack Mitchell photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Jack Mitchell photography available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of photography to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of purple, blue and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Jack Mitchell in silver gelatin print, pigment print, archival pigment print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Pop Art style. Not every interior allows for large Jack Mitchell photography, so small editions measuring 5 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Andy Warhol, Nicholas Taylor, and Heidler & Heeps. Jack Mitchell photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $300 and tops out at $2,275, while the average work can sell for $1,250.