Lady Bartender at Home with a Souvenir Dog, New Orleans, La., 1964

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Lady Bartender at Home with a Souvenir Dog, New Orleans, La., 1964

Artist Diane Arbus (American, 1923-1971)

Printer Neil Selkirk

Date1964 (printed later)

Dimensionssheet: 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)

Mediumgelatin-silver print

ClassificationPhotographs

Credit LineGift of Florence Scott Libbey, by exchange

Object number

2006.147

Not on View

Label TextBest 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.Published ReferencesToledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 339, repr. (col.).Exhibition HistoryToledo, Toledo Museum of Art, Looks Good on Paper: Masterworks and Favorites, Oct. 10, 2014-Jan. 11, 2015.