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.
$1,870Sale Price|44% Off
16 x 20" Dancer/Choreographer Eliot Feld in 'Fancy Free' signed by Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
16 x 20" vintage silver gelatin photograph of dancer/choreographer Eliot Feld performing "Fancy Free", 1965 numbered 9/25. It is signed by Jack Mitchell on the recto and in pencil on...
Silver Gelatin
$900Sale Price|60% Off
Warhol Superstar Joe Dallesandro, iconic 'rough trade' pose for After Dark
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro photographed nude for After Dark magazine, 1970, shortly after starring in Andy Warhol's 'Trash'. Vintage 11 x 14 inch silver gelatin exhibition phot...
Silver Gelatin
$1,000Sale Price|60% Off
Jay and Jed Johnson, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of twin brothers Jay and Jed Johnson photographed for 'After Dark' magazine on June 8, 1970. Signed by J...
Silver Gelatin
$1,350Sale Price|46% Off
Warhol Superstar Joe Dallesandro and his brother Bobby signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Warhol Superstar Joe Dallesandro photographed with his brother Bobby in 1970 for "After Dark" magazine. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the v...
Silver Gelatin
$375Sale Price|25% Off
Obie-winning Broadway stage actress Gloria Foster, photographed in New York City
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
8 x 10" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Obie Award-winning Broadway (and Off-Broadway) stage actress Gloria Foster, photographed in New York City, 1966. This is a print that was...
Silver Gelatin
$1,080Sale Price|56% Off
Actress Dina Merrill, studio portrait
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of actress Dina Merrill, 1966. Signed on the print verso. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with ...
Silver Gelatin
$1,000Sale Price|20% Off
Stage and film actor Kevin Kline
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of stage and film actor Kevin Kline, 1975. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of ...
Silver Gelatin
$1,530Sale Price|55% Off
16 x 20" film legend Gloria Swanson at home in New York, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
16 x 20" vintage silver gelatin photograph of film legend Gloria Swanson photographed at her home in New York City in 1965. It is signed by Jack Mitchell on the recto and in pencil o...
Silver Gelatin
$1,100Sale Price|44% Off
Composer Michael Tilson Thomas & Joshua Mark Robison, signed by Jack
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Conductor, Pianist & Composer Michael Tilson Thomas, and his partner/manager (now husband) Joshua Mark R...
Silver Gelatin
$875Sale Price|50% Off
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. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity. This photograph was from a se...
Silver Gelatin
$875Sale Price|50% Off
American Ballet Theatre dancer Marco Paredes 'Narcissus' signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
8 x 10" vintage silver gelatin photograph, signed by Jack Mitchell in pencil on the reverse. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authenticity. This ...
Silver Gelatin
$900Sale Price|40% Off
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 Arch...
Silver Gelatin
$1,687Sale Price|43% Off
Artist Tom Wesselmann in his New York City studio
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of artist Tom Wesselmann in his New York City studio in 1969. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authent...
Silver Gelatin
$937Sale Price|21% Off
Joffrey Ballet dancers in costume for 'The Clowns'
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Joffrey Ballet dancers in costume for 'The Clowns', 1968. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with ...
Silver Gelatin
$1,200Sale Price|40% Off
Author Christopher Isherwood and his partner artist Don Bachardy
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of author Christopher Isherwood and his partner, artist Don Bachardy, 1974. Comes directly from the J...
Silver Gelatin
$975Sale Price|35% Off
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 ...
Archival Pigment
$825Sale Price|44% Off
American classical violinist Eugene Fodor, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of American classical violinist Eugene Fodor, photographed for After Dark magazine in 1975. Mitchell dry mounted this photograph on archiva...
Silver Gelatin
$980Sale Price|65% Off
Martha Graham dancer Tim Wengard, signed exhibition print
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Martha Graham dancer Tim Wengard, photographed in 1979. This is a vintage gelatin silver print, selenium toned, made by hand by master photographer Jack Mitchell and signed both on t...
Silver Gelatin
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Fashion Designer Willi Smith, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Fashion designer Willi Smith, photographed in April 1984. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This exhibition print is 17 x 22". Comes dire...
Archival Pigment
$1,200Sale Price|40% Off
Writer/performer Spalding Gray, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of writer/performer Spalding Gray, 2002 signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a c...
Silver Gelatin
$1,875Sale Price|37% Off
Artist Robert Rauschenberg in his studio. Signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of artist Robert Rauschenberg in his studio, 1977. Signed on the print verso by Jack Mitchell. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Arch...
Silver Gelatin
$1,650Sale Price|44% Off
French Mime Marcel Marceau, multiple exposure
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of French mime Marcel Marceau, multiple exposures on one piece of 120 negative film, 1973. Comes directly ...
Silver Gelatin
$1,080Sale Price|40% Off
Warhol superstar Eric Emerson photographed for 'After Dark' magazine, Signed
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Warhol superstar Eric Emerson, the iconic portrait photographed for 'After Dark' magazine in 1971. This is a vintage gelatin silver print, made by hand by master photographer Jack Mi...
Silver Gelatin
$1,050Sale Price|40% Off
Broadway and Film Dancer/Choreographer Tommy Tune
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Broadway and Film Dancer/choreographer Tommy Tune , 1974. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with ...
Silver Gelatin
$900Sale Price|50% Off
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...
Silver Gelatin
$990Sale Price|50% Off
Suzanne Farell & Joseph Duell, 'Slaughter on 10th Avenue', signed by Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
16x20" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Suzanne Farell and Joseph Duell performing 'Slaughter on 10th Avenue', 1986. Signed on the print recto by Jack Mitchell. Comes directly fr...
Silver Gelatin
$1,020Sale Price|40% Off
Broadway Show Stars - Famous 1980 NY Times full page photograph DNC welcome
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph - this is the famous photograph published full page in the New York Times of the Broadway Show Cast Members in...
Silver Gelatin
$637Sale Price|46% Off
Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich , signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich, 1973. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print recto. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives ...
Silver Gelatin
$900Sale Price|55% Off
Artist, dancer, choreographer & actor Geoffrey Holder, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of actor, choreographer, director, costume designer, and dancer Geoffrey Holder, 1964. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes di...
Silver Gelatin
$935Sale Price|44% Off
Tony Award-winning Broadway singer & dancer Ben Vereen, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph Broadway actor, singer and dancer Ben Vereen in 1972. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly ...
Silver Gelatin
$1,687Sale Price|43% Off
Rudolf Nureyev photographed at his friend's apartment, 1970
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Rudolf Nureyev photographed at his friend Monique van Vooren's apartment for 'After Dark' magazine in 1970. Comes directly from the Jack...
Silver Gelatin
$400Sale Price|20% Off
Ballerina Silhouette, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
8 x 10" vintage silver gelatin photograph, Ballerina Silhouette, 1971. It is signed on the print verso in pencil by Jack Mitchell. This is a print that was published by a newspaper o...
Silver Gelatin
$900Sale Price|50% Off
'Trash' Warhol Superstars Jane Forth & Joe Dallesandro for After Dark Magazine
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin exhibition photograph of Warhol Superstar and Vogue model Jane Forth & Joe Dallesandro, stars of Warhol's 'Trash' for '...
Silver Gelatin
$1,875Sale Price|25% Off
Photorealist painter Chuck Close with his work, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of photorealist painter Chuck Close photographed with his work in 1981. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the verso. Comes directly from the Jack...
Silver Gelatin
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Maria Schneider 'Last Tango in Paris' star studio shot, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of French actresss Maria Schneider, who starred opposite Marlon Brando in Bernardo Bertolucci's film 'Last Tango in Paris...
Silver Gelatin
$1,050Sale Price|47% Off
Actress Julie Newmar
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of actress Julie Newmar, 1974. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certificate of authentici...
Silver Gelatin
$935Sale Price|44% Off
Dancer/choreographer Molissa Fenley performing 'State of Darkness' nude
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of dancer/choreographer Molissa Fenley performing 'State of Darkness' topless, 1988. Comes directly from the ...
Silver Gelatin
$1,000Sale Price|50% Off
Collagist & Correspondence Artist Ray Johnson, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of collagist and correspondence artist Ray Johnson photographed with his work in 1968. Signed on the print recto...
Silver Gelatin
$918Sale Price|38% Off
Actress and singer Tammy Grimes, Signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Actress and singer Tammy Grimes, 1970. Signed on the verso by Jack Mitchell. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certi...
Silver Gelatin
$1,250Sale Price|50% Off
Artist Alex Katz at an exhibition of his paintings, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of artist Alex Katz at an exhibition of his recent works in Manhattan, 1964. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly fro...
Silver Gelatin
$900Sale Price|50% Off
George Balanchine rehearses Edward Villella in Swan Lake signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of choreographer and ballet master George Balanchine rehearsing Edward Villella in 'Swan Lake' in 1964. Sign...
Silver Gelatin
$900Sale Price|55% Off
Photorealist painter Chuck Close, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of contemporary photorealist painter Chuck Close, 1981. Signed on the print verso by Jack Mitchell. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell A...
Silver Gelatin
$990Sale Price|44% Off
British Pop Artist Gerald Laing and wife photographed nude
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Artist Gerald Laing and his wife Galina Golikova, nude, 1968. Gerald was a close friend of Jack Mitchell and the photos were taken to celebrate their wedding. Vintage silver gelatin ...
Silver Gelatin
$450
Dancer Peter Ottmann, Multiple Exposure vintage color (Kodak Professional Paper)
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" Chromogenic silver halide color print (Kodak Professional Paper) Multiple exposure view of National Ballet of Canada dancer Peter Ottmann, July 1986. Comes directly from the...
Color
$900Sale Price|64% Off
Actor Al Pacino, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of actor Al Pacino, 1979. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the verso. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives wi...
Silver Gelatin
$825Sale Price|44% Off
Large format vintage multiple exposure female nude, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
16 x 20" vintage silver gelatin photograph, multiple exposure female nude. Titled, numbered, dated, and signed by Jack Mitchell on the recto. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Ar...
Silver Gelatin
$1,530Sale Price|55% Off
16 x 20" Photographer Richard Avedon, Signed
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
16 x 20" vintage silver gelatin photograph of photographer Richard Avedon planning his Marlborough Gallery exhibition, photographed in 1975. It is signed by Jack Mitchell on the rect...
Silver Gelatin
$375Sale Price|25% Off
Andy Warhol Superstar Candy Darling and Dorian Gray
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
8 x 10" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Andy Warhol Superstar Candy Darling and Dorian Gray. This is a print that was published by After Da...
Silver Gelatin
$1,680Sale Price|43% Off
16x20" Warhol Superstar Jane Forth, 'After Dark' cover, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
16 x20" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Warhol Superstar Jane Forth, signed by Jack Mitchell and numbered 5/12. Nude Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives with a certif...
Silver Gelatin
$1,800Sale Price|40% Off
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...
Silver Gelatin
$450Sale Price|40% Off
Warhol Superstar Holly Woodlawn personally autographed & kissed Limited Edition
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
In October 2015 the ailing Holly Woodlawn (1946-2015) completed the final autograph session of her life. Seated on her hospital bed in her Hollywood assisted living facility (with breaks for cigarettes and pain medication), Woodlawn lipstick kissed each photo of an edition of 47 Jack Mitchell photographs of herself and inscribed each, “Love, Holly Woodlawn” in her own hand. When the project was completed after several hours, she said, “Thank you for taking me away from reality for a while; it felt great to be a star again.” Holly passed away just seven weeks later, on December 6, 2015. The Photograph - Jack Mitchell’s photo...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|55% Off
Artist & Writer Yoko Ono in her Manhattan apartment, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of artist and writer Yoko Ono (widow of John Lennon) in her Manhattan home in 1985, signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes direc...
Silver Gelatin
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Graffiti Artist Keith Haring, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Graffiti and visual artist Keith Haring photographed with one of his paintings in April 1984. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photograph...
Archival Pigment
$900Sale Price|40% Off
Conductor, Pianist & Composer Michael Tilson Thomas, signed by Jack
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Conductor, Pianist & Composer Michael Tilson Thomas in 1971. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly from the Jac...
Silver Gelatin
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Artist Lowell Nesbitt in his Manhattan home & studio, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of painter Lowell Nesbitt in his Manhattan studio with his paintings, 1969. Signed on the print verso by Jack Mitchell. Comes directly from...
Silver Gelatin
$825Sale Price|44% Off
Flutist Ransom Wilson, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Flutist Ransom Wilson in 1977. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly from the Jack Mit...
Silver Gelatin
$875Sale Price|50% Off
Edward Villella in New York City Ballet's Dance/Drama "Watermill" signed by Jack
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Edward Villella in New York City Ballet's "Watermill", Jerome Robbins Dance/Drama, 1972. Signed by Jack M...
Silver Gelatin
$1,800Sale Price|40% Off
Artist Eric Fischl, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of artist Eric Fischl at work in his studio in 1986. Signed by Jack Mitchell on the print verso. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Arc...
Silver Gelatin
$1,350Sale Price|46% Off
Artist/Warhol Superstar Ultra Violet and friends Jason McCoy and Ron Caran
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of Artist/Warhol Superstar Ultra Violet, with friends Jason McCoy and Ron Caran, 1971, nude photographed in 1971 in New York City. Comes di...
Silver Gelatin
$1,440Sale Price|28% Off
Author Truman Capote photographed at his United Nations Plaza apartment
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
11 x 14" vintage silver gelatin photograph of author Truman Capote photographed at his United Nations Plaza apartment on June 26, 1980. Comes directly from the Jack Mitchell Archives...
Silver Gelatin