Robert Mapplethorpe Born November 4th

Mapplethorpe was born on November 4th, 1946 in Queens, New York. Photography would never be the same.

Visit the Mapplethorpe Foundation.

Wilhelm Von Gloeden Born September 16th

Wilhelm Von Gloeden was born Septemer 16th, 1856 in Mecklenburg, Germany, though perhaps he was not the baron he claimed to have been. Thankfully, family wealth allowed Von Gloeden to relocate to Taormina on the island of Sicily when important health concerns arose. The economic impact Von Gloeden and his photography from generous model fees and increased tourism had on the area may have influenced the locals to accept his homosexuality. That is, until the Fascists came to power and, taking offense, destroyed an estimated three quarters of the work bequeathed to Pancrazio Bucini, a former model and lover.

Read more about Von Gloeden here here and here here.

George Hoyningen-Huene Born September 4th

George Hoyningen-Huene was born September 4th, 1900 to a Russian Baron and an American mother in St Perterburg, Russia. He and his family escaped from Russia in the beginning of the Russian Revolution in 1917. They first traveled to London and then to Paris where George began working his way up to chief photographer for Vogue. in 1931 George met Horst P Horst (Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann) and the two men became lovers. Horst was a photographer in his own right and was also a model for George. Hoyningen-Huene traveled back to London in 1935 where he met fellow Vogue photographer Cecil Beaton before moving to New York City four years later. He eventually made his way to Hollywood and made a career of glamour photography for the studios.

Learn more at A World History of Art .

Guglielmo Von Plüschow Born August 18th

Wilhelm Von Plüschow was born August 18th, 1852 in Wismar, Germany. Pluschow was a distant cousin to another German photographer, Wilhelm Von Gloeden. Following a move to Rome Plüschow changed his first name to its Italian equivalent. Like Von Gloeden, Plüschow was a pioneer in erotic male photography though he also photographed women and landscapes.

See a catalog of Plüschow's photography and read more at Matt & Andrej Koymasky.

Herb Ritts Born August 13th

Herb Ritts was born August 13th, 1952. The world of art and fashion photography was deeply influenced during his lifetime.

Visit the photographer's website.

Carl Van Vechten Born June 17th

Carl Van Vechten was born June 17th, 1880 in Cedar Rapids, IA. Van Vechten is most well known for his interest in African American culture leading up to and during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. He wrote about the many facets of the cultural rebirth and was friends with many of its artists and organizers. His interest in the people of Harlem extended to photography, which he began in 1932 and continued until his death in the 1960s.

Learn more at GLBTQ and Gay.net's Inventors of Gay article.