Don Bronstein had 2 incredible jobs. The first was being the first staff photographer for Playboy Magazine. The second, was as an award winning house photographer for the legendary Chess Records. He’s hard to find information about but his work is definitely notable, especially now when we’re so influenced by period styles.
Here’s a bio I found at Chicago Magazine:
Don Bronstein (1926-68): In June 1963, in the midst of a three-week gig at Mister Kelly’s, the legendary Rush Street nightclub, Barbra Streisand traveled to the Lake Michigan shoreline with the photographer Don Bronstein. The first staff photographer for Playboy, where he shot covers and centerfolds before embarking on a freelance career in 1963, Bronstein shot Streisand in a radical pose-with her back to the camera. That photo graced the cover of Streisand’s classic fourth album, People, and both singer and cover won Grammys.
Here’s some of his work that I’ve dug up:
And I know I can’t possibly give Don the credit he deserves without including this, although fairly tame considered against today’s standards.
