Florence Vandamm

Florence Catherine Vandamm (1883–March 15, 1966) was a British photographer known for her portraiture for Broadway theatre. During her five-decade career, Vandamm and her studio photographed over 2,000 productions. She was trained in painting at the Royal Academy of Arts, ran her own studio, and was elected a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain before moving to the United States in 1923.

She lived in New York, where she was the official photographer for the Theatre Guild, until her death in 1966. Her photography was the subject of the 2013 exhibition Poet of Light: Florence Vandamm & the Vandamm Studio at the New York Public Library.

Early life and education Florence Vandamm (also spelled Van Damm) was born in 1883 in London to Jeannette and George Vandamm. Her father was a lawyer. Her younger brother Vivian Van Damm became the owner of the Windmill Theatre in Soho in the 1940s. Her niece Sheila van Damm was a rally driver.

Florence studied fine arts and painting at the Royal Academy of Arts.

Career Photography in London Vandamm was a painter and miniaturist before transitioning to photography. She was employed as a portrait photographer, opening her own studio in the West End of London in 1908. She focussed on portraits of authors and musicians. Her work appeared on book jackets, in concert flyers, and in periodicals. Her studio served as a social hub for artists and performers. and contributed twenty platinotypes to a 1914 exhibition by the Union of Women's Suffrage. Her portraits of suffragists and actresses led to her work being featured in magazines. While in London, she did work for the magazines Vanity Fair and Vogue.

Marriages

She married her first husband, the actor Leonard Notcutt, in 1915, and was widowed when he was killed in action in May 1917.

In the autumn of 1917, she met George R. Thomas, who was born in Washington and had been stationed in England since 1915, making small engine parts for the British Air Board. They married in early 1919 and had one son, Robert, in 1920. She taught her husband photography and they formed a professional partnership, with George using the name "Tommy Vandamm". The Vandamms earned a reputation among Broadway theatres for their quality and efficiency. Her lighting techniques allowed her to explore its emotional and sculptural qualities. and their son died in 1946. Following her retirement in 1950, Vandamm's archives, including her prints, key sheets, and negatives, were purchased for $73,000 by the New York Public Library in 1961. The Vandamm Collection is held by The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

Gallery