Gloria Swanson
Edward Steichen, 1924
Steichen created this iconic portrait of Gloria Swanson in 1924. Captured at the end of the session after various costume changes, Steichen said in his autobiography A Life in
Photography, ‘I took a piece of black lace veil and hung it in front of her face. She recognised the idea at once. Her eyes dilated, and her look was that of a leopardess lurking behind leafy shrubbery, watching her prey.’ The image was published in the February 1928 issue of Vanity
Fair. Towards the end of the 1920s, Swanson was one of the highest-paid women in the world. Steichen said in his autobiography, ‘ You don’t have to explain things to a dynamic and intelligent personality like Miss Swanson. Her mind works swiftly and intuitively.’ As one of the most iconic celebrity portraits of the 20th century, it demonstrates just how well Steichen collaborated with his sitters.