Article

Max T. Vargas and international fashion in the context of photography in Arequipa

Abstract

The portraits by Max T. Vargas are an essential key to understanding what fashions were followed by the high society of Arequipa during his time. But also, they provide insights into how Max T. Vargas used both fashion and ambiance resources, rather than post-touching techniques, as tools to portray the photogenic qualities of his clients. This aspect distinguishes Max T. Vargas from the pictorialist fashion being used by the most renowned photographers in the international context of the time and brings him closer to the way modern fashion photographers. However, in the second decade of the twentieth century, when pictorialism was also in fashion in the photographic portrait context of Arequipa, Max T. Vargas could not cope with his competitors and had to move to another city.

Keywords

Max T. Vargas, peruvian photography, fashion photography, photography portrait, fashion history