Frissell was born in 1907 in Manhattan, NY, and took photos under the name Toni Frissell, despite her marriage to Manhattan socialite McNeil Bacon.
At the beginning of her career, she worked briefly for Vogue, making captions and writing a bit for the magazine.
She was fired because of her poor spelling, but was encouraged by Vogue’s fashion editor Carmel Snow to take up photography.
She took up photography to cope with the illness of her mother, the death of her brother Varick Frissell, and the end of her engagement to Count Serge Orloff-Davidoff.
Her first published picture was in Town and Country.
After this, she advocated for herself and got a contract with Vogue.
She apprenticed with Cecil Beaton.

She worked with many other famous photographers of the day.
Her first photography job, as a fashion photographer for Vogue in 1931, was due to Condé Montrose Nast.
She later took photographs for Harper's Bazaar.
Her fashion photos, even of evening gowns and such, were often notable for their outdoor settings, emphasizing active women.
She was one of the first photographers to move outside of the studio for fashion photography, setting a trend in the field.
She did not shoot indoors primarily because “I don't know how to photograph in a studio.
I never did know about technical points and still don't”.
Her style continued in this ‘plein air’ way throughout her career.
For this kind of innovation and experimentation she was well known.
Frissell was born in 1907 in Manhattan, NY, and took photos under the name Toni Frissell, despite her marriage to Manhattan socialite McNeil Bacon. At the beginning of her career, she worked briefly for Vogue, making captions and writing a bit for the magazine. She was fired because of her poor spelling, but was encouraged by Vogue’s fashion editor Carmel Snow to take up photography. She took up photography to cope with the illness of her mother, the death of her brother Varick Frissell, and the end of her engagement to Count Serge Orloff-Davidoff. Her first published picture was in Town and Country. After this, she advocated for herself and got a contract with Vogue. She apprenticed with Cecil Beaton.
She worked with many other famous photographers of the day. Her first photography job, as a fashion photographer for Vogue in 1931, was due to Condé Montrose Nast. She later took photographs for Harper's Bazaar. Her fashion photos, even of evening gowns and such, were often notable for their outdoor settings, emphasizing active women. She was one of the first photographers to move outside of the studio for fashion photography, setting a trend in the field. She did not shoot indoors primarily because “I don't know how to photograph in a studio. I never did know about technical points and still don't”. Her style continued in this ‘plein air’ way throughout her career. For this kind of innovation and experimentation she was well known.
Toni Frissell