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Lillian Bassman

Untitled, ca. 1950s

Description

Maker

  • Lillian Bassman, 1917-2012, American

Title

Untitled

Year

ca. 1950s

Medium

gelatin silver print

Materials/Techniques

Supports

  • paper

Dimensions

28.9 x 23.8 cm (11 3/8 x 9 3/8 inches) (sheet)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed in pen verso

Type

  • Works on Paper,
  • Photographs

Credit

Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

2007.48.1

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Changing Poses

November 12, 2010 - June 6, 2011

The diffused light and grainy quality of this photograph add a warm, personal tone to the image, blending away the particularities of the model’s features into a powerful statement of simplicity, elegance, and feminine beauty. Lillian Bassman’s success with images of this type changed the course of her career; she went from art director at Harper’s Bazaar, printing photographs taken by others, to working behind the camera full-time. Her easy rapport with models was
essential to the success of the resulting photographs. She recounts, “When men photograph women, there’s usually a tension, an element of seduction. My favorite models would become friends. . . . We would discuss husbands, boyfriends, whatever—the atmosphere was intimate but relaxed.” She compared her best models to dancing partners, collaborators in a single project which depended on the creation of a bond between the artist and her subject.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in Copyright. This object is Untitled with the accession number of 2007.48.1. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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