Peggy Guggenheim, Man Ray, 1924

gelatin silver print, h 279mm × w 179mm More details
© erven Man Ray/Pictoright

Man Ray was a photographer with two souls. While he would have preferred to devote himself exclusively to painting, he derived his primary source of income from portrait, fashion, and advertising photography. Alongside this ‘commercial’ work he conducted all kinds of artistic experiments in the darkroom. In 1924 he took this elegant photograph of Peggy Guggenheim wearing a gown by Paul Poiret. While the cast shadow is a modern element, the soft-focus in contrast is traditional, if not old-fashioned.