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[Mrs. William Rhinelander Stewart]

Creator

American Photographer · 1917–2009

ArtistMaker

During the summers of 1937 and 1938, Irving Penn, then an art student in Philadelphia, worked at *Harper's Bazaar* magazine as a gofer hoping to one day have his drawings included in the publication. To his surprise, the magazine did publish one of his drawings in 1937; the following year, Penn moved to New York after graduation and began a freelance career as a commercial artist. In 1943 he was h

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Date: May 20, 1948
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Culture: American
Department: Photographs
Institution: Getty Museum

By arranging two portable background screens to create a narrow, almost claustrophobic corner, Irving Penn created a fascinating pictorial device for a series of portraits. Posing Mrs. William Rhinelander Stewart with her arms severely tucked behind her emphasizes the dramatic confinement of the space. The convergence of the screens and the carefully orchestrated lighting also serve to isolate her figure: she appears as if on a pedestal. Mrs. Stewart is a study in refined formality in her strapless, pleated ball gown with handkerchief hemline. Her white porcelain shoulders and face, carefully coiffed hair, and triple-strand pearl choker are the picture of fashionable elegance, yet a quick glance at the floor reveals an untidy tangle of photographer's cords.

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