Through March 1, the stunning Rosecliff Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, will host “Bill Cunningham: Facades.” This exhibition of works by the former The New York Times fashion photographer showcases Cunningham’s unguarded, impromptu photography of fashion manifested in real time on the city’s streets, and which juxtaposed eras in creative and engaging ways. Awarded the title chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in 2008, Cunningham was also the subject of an award-winning documentary film, Bill Cunningham New York (Zeitgeist Films, 2010), which also featured Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

The exhibition of more than 80 original and enlarged images features Cunningham’s photographic collection of vintage clothing acquired through relentless searches of thrift stores, auction houses and street fairs. His visual essay project, called “Facades,” often featured friend and fellow photographer Editta Sherman, modeling these pieces in historic settings, effectively linking fashion to concepts within architecture. Cunningham spent eight years collecting more than 500 outfits, photographed in more than 1,800 city locations. In “Gothic Bridge,” Cunningham photographed Sherman in Central Park styled in the 1860s, set against the framework of the curved supports and wrought iron rail of a park bridge as wind lifted the hem of her long skirt. The exhibition is organized by the New York Historical Society and presented at Rosecliff by The Preservation Society of Newport County.