Lisa Fonssagrives wearing a dress by Lucien Lelong in death-defying pose high on top of the Eiffel Tower overlooking the city of Paris. Photo by Erwin Blumenfeld, French Vogue, May 1939
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In 1952, Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn, the celebrated (first) supermodel effectively retires from modeling after her son, Tom Penn, is born. She begins designing clothes by the mid-’50s. At first just an occasional dress for one of her husband’s (Irving Penn) advertising campaigns, but then people begin to special order evening gowns and suddenly she finds herself designing a line of at-home clothes for Lord and Taylor. Eventually she designs sportswear for them too. This lasts a good six years. When Lisa and Irving have to move, because the Central Park West building will be torn down, she stops designing, not being allowed to have a business in the new apartment. It is time for something else.
In their Long Island house, Lisa spends more and more time in her sculpture studio and enrolls in the Art Students League to sharpen her drawing skills. Finally Lisa and Irving move to Long Island definitely.
She begins exhibiting her sculptures and paintings in group shows in 1968 and later has many solo shows. She will be represented by the Marlborough Gallery in Manhattan.
“I was a sculptor all my life,” Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn once said, “I was a form in space.”
Lisa dies February 4, 1992 in New York of pneumonia , survived by her second husband, Irving Penn and her two children: her daughter Mia Fonssagrives-Solow, a costume designer who is married to real estate developer Sheldon Solow, and her son, Tom Penn, a designer.
Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn in the Crillon, Paris (by David Seidner, 1990) was a multi talent. During her life she was a successful dancer/ dance teacher, model, photographer, fashion designer and sculptor.
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Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar covers
Ph. Irving Penn
Ph. Erwin Blumenfeld
Ph. Irving Penn
Ph. Horst P. Horst
Ph. Irving Penn
Ph. Irving Penn
Ph. Louise Dahl-Wolf
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And many other beautiful photographs
Ph. Irving Penn
Chicken Hat, ph. Irving Penn
Chicken Hat, ph. Irving Penn (2)
Lilly Dache hat, Ph. Irving Penn
Ph. Irving Penn
Ph. Irving Penn
Ph. Irving Penn
Ph. Horst P. Horst
Ph. Irving Penn
Ph. Irving Penn
Ph. Horst P. Horst
Ph. Irving Penn
Modess advertisement, sanitary napkins. Ph. Irving Penn
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Books
Lisa Fonssagrives: Three Decades of Classic Fashion Photography
http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Fonssagrives-Decades-Classic-Photography/dp/0865659788/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408631601&sr=8-1&keywords=lisa+fonssagrives+three+decades+of+classic+fashion+photography
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Irving Penn: Photographs. A Donation in Memory of Lisa Fonssagrive-Penn
The complete set of images that Irving Penn donated to the Swedish museum in memory of his Swedish-born wife. A gorgeous production with exquisite printing.
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info: Wikipedia, VoguePedia and interview with David Seidner
Text in a review of Alexandre Vassiliev’s book; Grant Hayter-Menzies
agnautacouture.com 
Some of those photos above are not of Lisa Fonssagrives
Photo 20 is Evelyn Tripp & photo 21 is Sunny Harnett.
Thank you so much! I’ve taken out photo 20 & 21,
with regards,
Netty