Paul Cadmus and Margaret and Jared French: Collaboration

Beginning in 1937, the three painters, Paul Cadmus (1904-1999), Margaret French (1906-1998) and Jared French (1905-1988), vacationed together in Provincetown and Fire Island. With a shared camera, they photographed themselves and their friends against a background of vast, empty beaches. Driftwood, umbrellas, white sheets and old fishing nets were arranged with models, to form oddly surreal compositions. Many such arrangements were later adapted for use in the artists' paintings, several examples of which are also reproduced here. "These small photographs are revealing in their beautiful compositions, and provide insights as to how these painters interpreted their visual richness for their painting."