Horst P. Horst (né Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann), was born August 14th, 1906 in Weissenfels, Germany. Horst originally studied architecture in Hamburg and served as an apprentice for Le Corbusier in Paris, but switched to photography with the help of his friend and mentor, George Hoyningen-Huene, a fashion photographer working for Vogue. Horst soon followed in his peer's footsteps, and in 1935 succeeded Hoyningen-Huene (who moved to Harper's Bazaar) as head photographer at French Vogue. It was during the 1930s that Horst established his trademark style, which incorporated dramatic lighting and an unparalleled eye for grace that enabled Horst to create images that portray his subjects as emblems of elegance. In his portrait of Coco Chanel, one of his most famous images, he captures a woman who was rarely photographed, and creates a striking composition with her regal profile and the exquisite chair. For sixty years, Horst photographed the world of high society with a style and class that is virtually unpracticed today.