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.
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Warhol Superstar Candy Darling star of 'Vain Victory', Color 17 x 22"
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Warhol superstar Candy Darling photographed as 'Donna Bella Beads' in the hit play "Vain Victory: the Vicissitudes of the Damned" in 1971. One of Mitchell'...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Harkness Ballet principal dancer Dale Talley, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photo
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Harkness Ballet principal dancer Dale Talley photographed nude in 1978 for 'After Dark' magazine. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This ...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Merce Cunningham Dance Company Repertory, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photo
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Choreographer/dancer Merce Cunningham repertory, 1975. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This exhibition print is 17 x 22". Comes direct from the Jack Mitchell Arch...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Dancer/Choreographer Christopher Gillis, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Dancer/Choreographer Christopher Gillis photographed in December 1986 when he was principal dancer with the Paul Taylor Company. He died from AIDS complications in 1993 at the age of...
Archival Pigment
$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
$937Sale Price|53% Off
Fashion designer Gianni Versace, 1988.
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
13 x 19" Lifetime vintage archival pigment color print made under the instruction of and approved by Jack Mitchell. Fashion designer Gianni Versace, ...
Archival Pigment
$975Sale Price|35% Off
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...
Archival Pigment
$1,500Sale Price|40% Off
Artist/Warhol Superstar Ultra Violet, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
13 x 19" lifetime vintage color photograph of Artist/Warhol Superstar Ultra Violet, signed by Jack Mitchell (the only print of this photograph he signed). Nude Comes directly from th...
Digital Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Gregory Hines in 'Sophisticated Ladies', Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Dancer Gregory Hines in costume for his starring role in "Sophisticated Ladies" on Broadway photographed in 1980. One of Mitchell's most beautiful...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
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 ...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Singer Harry Belafonte, iconic portrait, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Singer, songwriter and social activist Harry Belafonte iconic portrait photographed in 1970. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This e...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Dancer/Choreographer Christopher Gillis, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photo
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Dancer/Choreographer Christopher Gillis photographed in December 1986 when he was principal dancer with the Paul Taylor Company. He died from AIDS complications in 1993 at the age of...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
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 ...
Archival Pigment
$450Sale Price|25% Off
Actor and comedian Robin Williams, studio portrait
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Actor and comedian Robin Williams photographed in April 1984. 13 x 19” archival pigment print. (Photograph © Jack Mitchell - All rights reserved.) Come...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
American Ballet Theatre dancer Christine Dunham in 'The Firebird' 17 x 22"
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
American Ballet Theatre dancer Christine Dunham in costume performing "The Firebird" in 1992. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This exhibition print is 17 x 22". C...
Archival Pigment
$975Sale Price|35% Off
Bob Fosse 'Big Deal' Dance Magazine Cover Shot, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
This photograph of Bob Fosse and the cast of his Broadway hit 'Big Deal' was taken in 1986 for the cover of Dance Magazine. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This e...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Pop Artist Roy Lichtenstein in his Studio, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein photographed in his New York studio with new work in 1968. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This exhibition print is 17 x 22". Comes di...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Argentinian Dancer Julio Bocca, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Argentinian dancer Julio Bocca, one of the most important ballet dancers of the later part of the 20th century, photographed in 1991. One of Mitchell's mo...
Archival Pigment
$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
$1,275Sale Price|57% Off
Rudolf Nureyev photographed for 'After Dark', signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
13 x 19" archival pigment color print of Rudolf Nureyev, Soviet-born dancer of ballet and modern dance, photographed for 'After Dark' magazine in New York City on Christmas Day 1975....
Archival Pigment
$975Sale Price|35% Off
Bejart Ballet Dancer Marcia Haydee in Greece, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
This photograph of Bejart Ballet principal dancer Marcia Haydee photographed in Athens, Greece (nude under a diaphanous cotton wrap) at dawn in June 1983...
Archival Pigment
$975Sale Price|35% Off
Bejart Ballet Dancer Marcia Haydee in Greece, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
This photograph of Bejart Ballet principal dancer Marcia Haydee photographed in Athens, Greece (nude under a diaphanous cotton wrap) at dawn in June 1983...
Archival Pigment
$975Sale Price|35% Off
Operatic Soprano Leontyne Price, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
This photograph of famed operatic soprano Leontyne Price was taken in 1980 during an album cover session. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photogr...
Archival Pigment
$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
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Author Truman Capote At Home, 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
This photograph of author Truman Capote was taken at his United Nations Plaza apartment in 1980. One of Mitchell's most beautiful color photographs. This exhibition print is 17 x 22"...
Archival Pigment
$1,275Sale Price|57% Off
Rudolf Nureyev photographed for 'After Dark', signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
13 x 19" archival pigment color print of Rudolf Nureyev, Soviet-born dancer of ballet and modern dance, photographed for 'After Dark' magazine in New York City on Christmas Day 1975....
Archival Pigment
$1,500Sale Price|50% Off
Rudolf Nureyev photographed for 'After Dark', 1975. Signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
13 x 19" archival pigment color print of Rudolf Nureyev, Soviet-born dancer of ballet and modern dance, photographed for 'After Dark' magazine in New York City on Christmas Day 1975....
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Colleen Dunn & Peter Allen on Broadway 'Dance Magazine' cover shot 17 x 22"
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Peter Allen and Colleen Dunn in the Broadway Musical "Legs Diamond" photographed for the cover of Dance Magazine in September 1988. One of Mitchell's most ...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Poet & Playwright Ntozake Shange, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Playwright, poet and black feminist Ntozake Shange photographed with the cast of her play “A Photograph: Lovers in Motion,” in 1977. One of Mitchell's ...
Archival Pigment
$1,125Sale Price|25% Off
Poet & Playwright Ntozake Shange, Color 17 x 22" Exhibition Photograph
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
Playwright, poet and black feminist Ntozake Shange photographed with the cast of her play “A Photograph: Lovers in Motion,” in 1977. One of Mitchell's ...
Archival Pigment
$1,275Sale Price|57% Off
Rudolf Nureyev photographed for 'After Dark', 1975. Signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
13 x 19" archival pigment color print of Rudolf Nureyev, Soviet-born dancer of ballet and modern dance, photographed for 'After Dark' magazine in New York City on Christmas Day 1975....
Archival Pigment
$1,275Sale Price|57% Off
Rudolf Nureyev photographed for 'After Dark', signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
13 x 19" archival pigment color print of Rudolf Nureyev, Soviet-born dancer of ballet and modern dance, photographed for 'After Dark' magazine in New York City on Christmas Day 1975....
Archival Pigment
$1,800Sale Price|47% Off
Artist Andy Warhol at his Union Square Factory, signed by Jack Mitchell
By Jack Mitchell
Located in Senoia, GA
13 x 19" lifetime vintage archival pigment print of Artist Andy Warhol at his Union Square Factory in 1968, signed by Jack Mitchell (the only ...
Digital Pigment