Amateur Photographer

Gloria Swanson

Edward Steichen, 1924

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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.

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