Girls in the Windows, New York City, 1960 Photo Print 12x12"

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Perched from the fire escape of his studio, he was able to capture action happening across five floors. The final product proved to be something surreal, reducing the living, breathing women to brightly colored toys in a doll house.

I was set up on my fire escape across the street, directing the scene, with a bullhorn in hand. Of course, I was concerned for the Models’ safety, as some were daring enough to pose out on the crumbling sills.

Daydreaming

The photography came off as planned. What had seemed to some as too dangerous or difficult to accomplish, became my fantasy fulfilled, and my most memorable self–assigned photograph. It has been an international award winner ever since. It was shot on a 4×5 Speed Graphic – which I seldom used – with a wide angle lens. And I did about, I’m guessing here, 15 or 18 shots. His career took off in 1952. He was working at this moment for the Rapho photo agency, when a LIFE editor enlisted him to do a series of celebrity portraits in replacement of Robert CAPA. This very same year LIFE assigned Ormond GIGLI t... Ormond Gigli – Demolition begins at what is now 320 East 58th Street, New York, 1960 “Girls in the Windows” Over the Years

The photograph’s popularity and enduring appeal can be attributed to its unique composition, captivating colors, and intriguing stories of the women in the windows. The image has become a symbol of the city’s resilience and vibrancy, showcasing the diversity and strength of its inhabitants. “Girls in the Windows” has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, solidifying its status as a classic work of art. Through the years, Gigli shot Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg, John F. Kennedy, Gina Lollabrigida, Diana Vreeland, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates, and Richard Burton among others. I’m actually on the fire escape on the second floor – we had large fire escapes, almost like a balcony or something – I’m set up there with my camera and I’m directing. I had a bullhorn, and I got worried after a while so I said “don’t step out onto the ledges whatever you do!” Because with brownstones, the ledges, without anybody on them can fall down.There is a well-used adage that says there are reasons for everything. This is certainly true for why Ormond Gigli’s photograph, “The Girls in the Windows” is one of the most beloved pictures in photographic history. It achieves what a great fashion photograph has the potential to do. It effortlessly and gracefully merges the worlds of fashion and fantasy to create a photograph that transcends time and captures the imagination of collectors with its freshness, spontaneity, and uniqueness. Daydreaming No two figures looked exactly alike; the posture and outfit each woman assumed alludes to what her personality might be like outside the confines of the photograph. Gigli was born in New York City in 1925. As a teenager, his father offered him his first camera. He graduated from the School of Modern Photography in 1942 and served in the Navy as a photographer during World War II. He spent some time living the bohemian life in Paris. He reached out to a modeling agency that he had worked for, and asked for models to volunteer to be in his ‘dream’ picture. They were to wear what they wanted and show up over the lunch hour.

On the day of the shoot, Gigli and his team faced the challenge of coordinating and posing the women in the windows. This required precise timing and communication, as the women were positioned across multiple floors and windows of the brownstones. Gigli used a walkie-talkie to direct the models, adjusting their poses to create the perfect visual balance. The photograph was taken using a large format camera, capturing the richness and detail of the scene. Throughout his career, Ormond Gigli captured countless beauty, drama, and humanity moments. Yet, “Girls in the Windows” remains his most iconic and cherished work. This image is a testament to Gigli’s artistic prowess and ability to create a captivating visual narrative that resonates with viewers. Intent on capturing the beauty of the buildings before it was gone for good, the artist set to work on crafting the perfect image to memorialize the neighborhood he had come to love so well.

This is how Ormond Gigli recalls the story (according to Time magazine): In 1960, while a construction crew dismantled a row of brownstones right across from my own brownstone studio on East 58th Street, I was inspired to, somehow, immortalize those buildings. I had the vision of 43 women in formal dress adorning the windows of the skeletal facade. Girls in the Windows” is not just a visually stunning image; it’s also a snapshot of a bygone era. The photograph encapsulates the glamour and allure of 1960s New York City. The stylishly dressed women, juxtaposed against the soon-to-be-demolished brownstones, evoke a sense of nostalgia and wistfulness for a time when these buildings were a prominent feature of the cityscape. Fine art photography makes an ideal gift for friends, relatives, and family. Indeed, offering a photo is not just making a present of an object but opening a window on r...

He hadn’t the money to pay for professional models – or an access to a budget for a picture that had no sponsorship. We have had the opportunity of exhibiting this photograph in its different sizes over many years – and ask ourselves why it continues to amaze and delight collectors. We could talk about the repetition of forms, its tight structure, its compression of space, seductive use of color and beautiful women gazing out at the camera as reasons that it is a rigorous, well constructed image. Yet, the power and popularity of “The Girls In The Windows” can’t be so easily explained. Yes! My wife is on the right hand side. If you go up to the second floor she’s two over in a pink outfit.In the world of photography, some images transcend time, leaving an indelible mark on history. One such iconic photograph is Ormond Gigli’s “Girls in the Windows,” taken in 1960. This captivating image showcases 43 elegantly dressed women in 41 windows across the classic New York City brownstone facade. Over the years, this striking photograph has become Gigli’s most celebrated work. Ormond GIGLI was born in New York City in 1925 within a modest family. The photographic journey started when, still a teenager, his father offered him his first camera. Ormond GIGLI is fond of photography. After the class, he worked as an assistant for several photographers. Thanks to that he met the fashion world through Wilhela CUSHMAN, fashion editor for the Ladie’s Home Journal. He graduated from the School of Modern Photography in 1942 and served in the Navy as a photographer during World War 2. He spent some time living a bohemian life in France: “ I lived the life of a penniless artist in Paris… and it was a wonderful place to be ”.