Earlier the year, Sarah Vernon of First Night Design published this article and drew my attention to a marvellous portrait of Rachel Strong by the Russian artist Leon Bakst. Bakst was best known for his costume and set designs for the Ballets Russes, but he was also capable of delightful portraits such as the portrait of Rachel Strong. It was painted in 1924, the last year of his life. Although distance made it impossible to involve Sarah directly in the project, I knew immediately that I would like to create a set of images inspired by this painting. I have however moved the location of the photographs from central Europe to the Scottish Highlands.

As always, creating these images is a collective effort and I would like to thank everyone involved, particularly Claudia Oliver who designed and created a dress which so beautifully reflects the original.

A further set of images inspired by the portrait are available here:

https://www.behance.net/gallery/31550503/Portrait-in-style-of-Leon-Bakst

A dowladable set of images is also available under the Downloads menu.

Credits

Conceived and photographed by James Hall
Modelled by Kayt Webster-Brown at Ugly
Costume designed and made by Claudia Oliver at Falcieri Designs
Hair and Make-Up by Adele Coxon
Post-production by Paola Sammartino