The Party of The Century: The Fabulous story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball

The Party of The Century: The Fabulous story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball

Truman Capote at his Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel, NYC, 1966 (detail)

Magnum

Most photographers know Elliot Erwitt for his personal work, but Erwitt, a member of Magnum since 1953, was a Zelig-like presence at some of the events that helped define the second half of the twentieth century.
Primary among these would be JFK's funeral and the "kitchen debate" between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev, but also equally legendary if slightly less consequential happenings, such as Truman Capote's Black and White Ball. For this occasion, he was hired by Vogue to document the event, shooting color film.
The large detail of Erwitt's photo on the cover of Deborah Davidson's book was from a color original, although prints were also made in black and white.