Peter Gowland

Peter Gowland
Born April 3, 1916
Los Angeles, California, United States
Died March 17, 2010 (aged 93)
Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation Glamour photographer
Years active 19361966
Spouse(s) Alice Adams (m. 1941–2010)

Peter Gowland (April 3, 1916 March 17, 2010)[1] was a famous American glamour photographer and actor. He was known for designing and building his own studio equipment and was active professionally for six decades.

Gowland shot more than 1,000 magazine covers, mostly glamour shots of female models but also portraits of celebrities including Rock Hudson and Robert Wagner. His covers included Rolling Stone, Playboy, and Modern Photography. He invented elite cameras and equipment that he used to shoot pinups and magazine covers. In the late 1950s, Gowland also invented the twin-lens Gowlandflex camera, which used 4-by-5 inch film for high-quality pictures. The camera has since been used by such photographers as Annie Leibovitz and Yousuf Karsh.

Gowland grew up on movie sets and worked as film extra in his youth. He learned photo lighting and techniques from watching movies being shot. The son of Gibson Gowland and Sylvia Andrew, both actors, he acted in at least 12 films, mostly uncredited. He had a small part in Citizen Kane.[2]

The Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice

The 1971 human anatomy textbook The Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice featured photographs by Gowland in the surface anatomy section. The book was authored by professors R. Frederick Becker, James S. W. Wilson, and John A. Gehweiler, and was met with scandal and a feminist boycott, which resulted in the withdrawal by the publisher after only 5000 copies were distributed.[3][4][5]

Bibliography

References

  1. "Fashion photographer Peter Gowland dies at 93". Retrieved 2010-03-29.
  2. Fashion photographer Peter Gowland dies at 93 blnz.com
  3. Halperin EC (February 2009). "The pornographic anatomy book? The curious tale of the Anatomical Basis of Medical Practice". Academic Medicine 84 (2): 278–83. doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e31819391e2. PMID 19174685.
  4. "Dr. Edward Halperin Interview". Digitaldukemed.mc.duke.edu. 2007-05-29. Retrieved 2013-09-18.
  5. "University of Louisville :: News Releases :: Medical dean explores history of teaching anatomy". Php.louisville.edu. 2008-11-19. Retrieved 2013-09-18.

External links