Indelible Impression

Lots of photos stay with us forever. This iconic photograph was taken in the late 1960's by Irving Penn - the undisputed master of the single and group portrait (and many other photography styles, including a fabulous series of cigarette butts). The Coolsisters have a clear memory of seeing this photo for the first time, in Vogue, which Penn was closely associated with, and we had a feeling everything had changed. That's Big Brother and the Holding Company on the left and the Grateful Dead on the right. This wasn't the more cheerful kind of style popularized in the 1960's by the Brits or the usual Vogue glossy layout. This was a new kind of glamor, ambiguous, both more and less attainable at the same time. But very American, and very cool. We ran across it the other day after a long absence and kind of gasped.

Our First Coolsisters

Once upon a time, this was as cool as you could get - Joan Baez and her sister Mimi Farina. They were richly talented, muses to many, and seemingly well- loved by the most fabulous men. Joan is of course pretty famous, but that Mimi was one mighty fine coolsister. You could look it up.