Lady Bartender at Home with a Souvenir Dog, New Orleans, La., 1964
Artist: Diane Arbus (American, 1923-1971)
Printer: Neil Selkirk
Date: 1964 (printed later)
Dimensions:
sheet: 21 7/16 x 16 1/16 in. (54.4 x 40.8 cm)
image: 14 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (36.8 x 36.8 cm)
Medium: gelatin-silver print
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Gift of Florence Scott Libbey, by exchange
Object number: 2006.147
Label Text:Best known for her sharp portrayal of society’s so-called fringe element, Arbus was fascinated throughout her career with the revealing details between initial impression and reality.
At first glance, this photo reminds one of a conventional portrait in which a socialite poses in a flattering manner alongside her well-groomed lapdog. Here, however, the ‘socialite’ is a bartender wearing a leopard-skin vest, her manicured hand with elegantly extended pinky resting on the chair’s armrest. The ‘lapdog’ is a souvenir toy.
With the expert use of the camera flash, Arbus highlights the correspondence between the fluffy fake poodle and the bartender’s platinum beehive hairdo. Both share similar proportions, and their white, rounded forms stand out in strong relief from the sparse décor’s linear patterns.
At first glance, this photo reminds one of a conventional portrait in which a socialite poses in a flattering manner alongside her well-groomed lapdog. Here, however, the ‘socialite’ is a bartender wearing a leopard-skin vest, her manicured hand with elegantly extended pinky resting on the chair’s armrest. The ‘lapdog’ is a souvenir toy.
With the expert use of the camera flash, Arbus highlights the correspondence between the fluffy fake poodle and the bartender’s platinum beehive hairdo. Both share similar proportions, and their white, rounded forms stand out in strong relief from the sparse décor’s linear patterns.
Not on view
In Collection(s)