Vanity Fair resurrecting archival photographs for their front covers isn’t exactly out of the ordinary. After all, cover features in the past including the likes of Princess Anne, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor have all depended upon archival imagery, as does this month’s offering for November 2023. To coincide with the release of her memoir My Name Is Barbra, editor Radhika Jones unearths a previously unpublished shot of Barbra Streisand by Richard Avedon. Taken in 1970 at the age of 27 (now 81-years-old), the flawless and majestic black and white shot showcases every inch of the iconic American singer and actress’ beauty.
You cannot possibly blame Vanity Fair for selecting such a terrific shot, right?
Of course not! Members of our forums immediately gave their approval. “Radhika has entered her Graydon Carter era with this one. I almost find the old formula of choosing decades-old photos of an iconic or deceased celebrity kind of charming at this point. It just feels authentic to the magazines identity,” praised KoV.
“An actual legend of the entertainment industry on the cover of Vanity Fair,” tigerrouge applauded.
“Beautiful portrait of her. More proof that Avedon was better than everyone then, and now,” heralded mepps.
In the same frame of mind was oaklee91: “Avedon was beyond his time and his work is very much timeless.”
“Obviously, coming from Richard Avedon, it’s a sublime portrait of Barbra Streisand but there is part of me that wishes Vanity Fair had bothered to commission a fresh shoot. I still fawn over the time W Magazine reunited Streisand with Meisel back in 2016,” commented vogue28.
“You can’t argue with a cover like that. Beautiful,” fruitbasedsnack chimed in.
See more from Barbra’s Vanity Fair cover feature and join the conversation, here.
