1974 Vogue Magazine Impressions Of A Midsummer Evening David Baily

This issue of Vogue dates from 1974 and runs to 160 pages. Its cover, Impressions of a Midsummer Evening, was photographed by David Bailey, and inside are Vienna Dreams, Silk and Satin, Vogue Beauty and Ballet Now and What's Next. Bailey, who began working for Vogue in 1960, had become one of the defining photographers of British fashion, and in the 1970s his work for the magazine moved from the energy of the Sixties to a more romantic, cinematic mood.

The mid-1970s favoured romantic dressing: flowing silks and satins, soft colours and nostalgic references to earlier eras. Vienna, with its associations of waltzes and Belle Époque elegance, fitted naturally into that mood.

Vogue continued to cover the arts alongside fashion, and ballet enjoyed great popularity in the 1970s, with star dancers reaching wide audiences. A feature on its present and future shows the magazine's interest in culture as part of its readers' lives.

The issue's themes, midsummer evenings, Vienna dreams, silk and satin, describe a soft, luminous, nostalgic aesthetic. Bailey's cover sets the tone for an issue devoted to beauty and romance.

Vogue issues with David Bailey covers are among the most sought after by collectors of fashion photography. This 1974 issue, with a pristine interior, documents the romantic mood of the mid-1970s.