Girl in a shiny dress, N.Y.C. 1967

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Artist Diane Arbus (American, 1923–1971)American, 1923–1971

CultureAmerican

Titles

Girl in a shiny dress, N.Y.C. 1967

Date1967, printed later

Place depictedNew York City, New York, United States

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 14 3/8 × 14 1/4 in. (36.5 × 36.2 cm)
Sheet: 20 × 15 15/16 in. (50.8 × 40.5 cm)

Credit LineThe Gay Block Collection, gift of Gay Block

Object number2005.1869

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionThroughout the 1950s and 1960s, Diane Arbus made portraits of people living in and around New York City, developing a recognizably blunt style in which she closely scrutinized her subjects while maintaining a personal distance. Although best known for photographing those on the margins of society (nudists, transvestites, muscle men, circus sideshow performers, and the mentally infirm), she also photographed adolescents on the streets, middle-class families, and the social elite. By picturing such a wide range of people, Arbus portrayed the seemingly strange or flawed as common and familiar—and vice versa, as in this photograph of a young woman casually bearing her elegance. The girl’s awkward, distorted pose, coupled with her earnest, comfortable smile, speaks to a delicate balance between dissociation and self-assurance that is part of the human condition, whether on the outskirts of society or within it.
ProvenanceGay Block, Santa Fe, New Mexico; given to MFAH, 2005.
Exhibition History“History of Photography I: Selections from the Museum's Collection,” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, November 1, 2014–February 22, 2015.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Stamped on verso upper left: "Not to be reproduced in any way without / written permission from Doon Arbus"

Stamped on verso upper right with additions in ink:
"A Diane Arbus photograph 13/75/
title GIRL IN A SHINY DRESS /
NYC, 1967
print by NEIL SELKIRK /
Doon Arbus (signature)"

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