[Female dancer as a nymph, holding a scarf]

Adolf de Meyer was a French photographer born in 1868 and died in 1946. He is known for his pioneering work in fashion photography and for his contributions to the development of photographic art. De Meyer was born in Paris and grew up in a wealthy family. He studied art and photography in Germany and later moved to London, where he worked as a portrait photographer. In 1898 he moved to New York City and began working for Condé Nast, where he became the first staff photographer for Vogue magazine. De Meyer's work for Vogue was groundbreaking, bringing a new level of artistry and sophistication to fashion photography. He used soft focus and diffused lighting to create dreamlike images that were both beautiful and mysterious. He also experimented with colour photography, which was a relatively new technology at the time. In addition to his fashion photography, de Meyer created portraits of celebrities such as the dancer Isadora Duncan and the actress Lillian Gish. He was also an early proponent of photomontage, a technique in which several images are combined to create a single composition. De Meyer's work had a profound influence on the development of modern photography and he is considered one of the pioneers of the medium. His legacy continues to inspire photographers today, and his work is still celebrated for its beauty, elegance and innovation.