In the Celebration of PRIDE Month in the United States, COOPH would like to highlight French Fashion photographer Chantal Regnault. Chantal recently published her photo book, "VOGUING," documenting the queer House Ballroom Scene of New York City between 1989 and 92. By the 1980s, the aesthetics of queer culture had considerably branched outside of the Village, and "Voguing" stepped into public consciousness. These Harlem Drag Masquerade Balls became so popular that Madonna's famous song "Vogue" was inspired.
Chantal states, "Why photograph the house ballroom circuit back then? Because it was fun and beautiful! It was a storm of fresh air, a revival of New York nightlife, which by the mid-1980s had sunk into the shadow of the plague. The gay, black, and Latino culture of houses, balls, and voguing came to save mainstream from the gloom."
Jennifer Legend, House of Omni Ball 1-Tracks, W. 19th Street (NYC), April 1989
Octavia Saint Laurent, Love Ball 1, AIDS Benefit, Roseland (NYC), May 1989
Octavia Saint Laurent, Harlem, W. 117th Street, May 1989
House of La Beija Picnic, Central Park (NYC), July 1989
Temperance Saint Laurent, House of Adonis Ball, New Jersey Ballroom, July 1989
Tony Overness, The Grandest Grand March Ever, AIDS Benefit, Palladium (NYC), 1990
Stacy Mugler, House of Milan Ball, Gay Community Center, W. 13th Street, August 1990
Tanqueray Ball, AIDS benefit, Sound Factory (NYC), November 1989
Danny, David, David Ian-Luis and Jose Xtravaganza - Tracks, W. 19th Street, May 1989
Voguing Book Cover by Chantal Regnault
One can purchase Chantal's book on Amazon. In New York City, please pick it up at the Strand or in London, Soul Jazz Records, and Books.
Want more? Check out Chantal on Instagram.
