"One Colour Isn't Enough," Vogue, January, 1938

Published in Vogue magazine in January 1938, this black-and-white photograph by Horst P. Horst was accompanied by a vivid written description of the “infinitesimal yellow bolero,” “toast straw hat,” and “green jersey suède belt.” In the 1930s, color photography was time intensive and technically difficult to print. As a result, magazines often relied on descriptions of color when publishing black-and-white photographs. It wasn’t until decades later that improvements to film and printing technology simplified the process, bringing color fully into the pages of fashion magazines.