Camera Club Girls: Bettie Page and The work of Rudolph Rossi

The extraordinary hand-painted photographs of Rudolph Rossi. Rossi was an informal member of the New York City Concorde Camera Club in the repressive 1950's. For a ten dollar fee, he photographed Bettie Page and a plethora of interracial models, then later meticulously hand-painted the photographs creating the illusion of color photography. An exceptional body of work by a previously unknown and unrecognized photographer and erotic artist from a time when such activity was taboo.

Rudolph Rossi Black and White Photograph c. 1955

The only known original photograph taken by Rudolph Rossi which he did not tint by hand. Hand-tinting not only gave his work (fewer than 200 are known) the unusual and curious color, one can see here he may also used the painted colors to hide other photographers jostling for position!

Untitled by Rudolph Rossi, circa 1955 Collection Jim Linderman Dull Tool Dim Bulb Books HERE