William Helburn pictures Maurice Chevalier

In the days when Madison Avenue ruled Manhattan, photographer William Helburn was an advertising king who embraced the true spirit of the day – he gave up fame in order to make more money. 
A contemporary of the likes of Iriving Penn and Richard Avedon, Helburn eschewed putting his name on many of his images in order to grow his own coffers working for rival accounts. But whether he was shooting an advertisement or an editorial feature, he never gave up the quality of his images.

Pictured: French actor Maurice Chevalier with model Margo McKendry.