Which photographers took Melania Trump's early modeling photos and where were they published?
This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
Executive summary
Melania Trump’s earliest modeling photographs were taken in Slovenia in the late 1980s by photographer Stane Jerko, who discovered her and produced the trial shoots that became her first portfolio [1] [2]. As her career moved to Western Europe and New York in the 1990s and 2000s she worked with several well-known fashion photographers — including Alexandre (Alé) de Basseville for a 1995–96 Max magazine shoot, Antoine Verglas for editorial work around 2000, and later high‑profile photographers such as Annie Leibovitz for Vogue — with the images appearing in European magazines, fashion portfolios and major international magazines [3] [4] [5] [6].
1. The discovery: Stane Jerko and Melania’s first professional portfolio
Melania (then Melania Knauss/Knavs) was reportedly discovered in Slovenia as a teenager by Slovenian photographer Stane Jerko, who invited her to his studio for a trial shoot; the pictures from that session and a subsequent shoot for a local textile factory comprised her first professional portfolio and launched her modeling career [1] [2] [7]. Those early images were primarily local/workshop assignments and agency submissions rather than international magazine editorials, according to retrospective reporting on her transition from Slovene runways to Milan and Paris [1] [2].
2. The European and New York transition: agency work and magazine commissions
After winning modeling contests and signing with agencies, Melania moved into the Milan/Paris circuit and then New York, where she shot for commercial clients and magazines; reporting traces a string of editorial and advertising work across Europe and the U.S. that expanded her portfolio beyond Jerko’s initial images [2] [8]. Specific publishing details for many of these mid‑career commercial shoots are described at a high level in image galleries and retrospectives but are not exhaustively catalogued in the sources provided [9] [10].
3. The Max/Alé de Basseville nude spread: a documented magazine publication
One of the most scrutinized early shoots was a nude session shot by French photographer Alexandre/Alé de Basseville (also credited as Ale de Basseville) that was published in the French men’s magazine Max in January 1996; news reports and magazine archives identify de Basseville as the photographer and Max as the original venue for those images [4] [3]. That spread resurfaced in later years and became a focal point of media attention during and after the 2016 campaign, with multiple outlets reproducing the provenance as de Basseville/Max [4] [3].
4. Notable fashion photographers and later editorial shoots: Antoine Verglas and Annie Leibovitz
Fashion photographers who later worked with Melania and discussed those shoots in interviews include Antoine Verglas, who shot her around 2000 for editorial images described as “implied nudity” and widely circulated in fashion portfolios, and other photographers who recalled editorial sessions as part of her international career [5]. In 2006, Annie Leibovitz photographed Melania for Vogue in a high‑profile editorial that was widely published and reported on in the press [6]. These collaborations demonstrate the shift from regional portfolios to globally distributed magazine work [5] [6].
5. What the reporting doesn’t fully catalog and why it matters
Contemporary reporting and image archives list several named photographers and some specific magazine placements (Jerko in Slovenia; Alé de Basseville/Max; Antoine Verglas; Leibovitz/Vogue), but publicly available sources do not provide a complete, item‑by‑item record of every early client, photographer or publication from the entirety of Melania’s modeling résumé; many mid‑career commercial shots are referenced without detailed publication credits in the sources provided [9] [10]. Where precise publication dates, agencies or lesser editorial outlets are not named in these sources, this account avoids inventing specifics and instead highlights confirmed photographer–publication pairings that multiple outlets identify [1] [4] [5] [6].
6. Competing narratives and implicit agendas in coverage
Coverage of Melania’s modeling past has been refracted through political controversy, campaign-era scrutiny and celebrity interest, which has driven renewed focus on particular shoots (notably the Max spread) and encouraged selective republication; some sources emphasize scandal, others frame the work as standard industry practice, and photographers quoted in fashion press (e.g., Verglas) push back against sensationalized readings of editorial nudity [5] [4] [11]. Readers should note that outlets differ in emphasis — lifestyle retrospectives foreground early discovery and runway roots, tabloid reporting foregrounds risqué shoots, and fashion trades contextualize the photographers’ professional perspectives [1] [4] [5].