[Anthony Perkins and Vera Miles on the Set of "Psycho"]
Avery learned photography at Paramount Pictures in the 1930s as an assistant to still cameramen Bud Fraker and A. L. "Whitey" Schafer. After serving as a photographer and paratrooper in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II, Avery worked at Columbia and MGM studios until returning in the 1950s to Paramount, where he made stills for Funny Face, To Catch a Thief, and The Front Page.
Although this shot from the set of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is stamped on the verso for release by both Paramount and the Black Star photo agency, it is hard to imagine what use it would have served, since it neither summarizes a scene from the movie for promotion nor captures a legible moment of "relaxation" between takes. Instead, this haunting image seems to probe deeper into the movie's subconscious: with the stage equipment behind them doubling as a kind of makeshift railroad crossing, Perkins, giving off-camera advice to his fellow actor Miles (who played Lila, the sister of victim Marion Crane, portrayed by Janet Leigh), looks uncannily like the killer Norman Bates confessing the secrets that Hitchcock gradually reveals.
Although this shot from the set of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is stamped on the verso for release by both Paramount and the Black Star photo agency, it is hard to imagine what use it would have served, since it neither summarizes a scene from the movie for promotion nor captures a legible moment of "relaxation" between takes. Instead, this haunting image seems to probe deeper into the movie's subconscious: with the stage equipment behind them doubling as a kind of makeshift railroad crossing, Perkins, giving off-camera advice to his fellow actor Miles (who played Lila, the sister of victim Marion Crane, portrayed by Janet Leigh), looks uncannily like the killer Norman Bates confessing the secrets that Hitchcock gradually reveals.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Anthony Perkins and Vera Miles on the Set of "Psycho"]
- Artist: Bill Avery (American, 1917–2002)
- Date: 1960
- Medium: Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions: 26.2 x 34.1 cm (10 5/16 x 13 7/16 in. )
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2001
- Object Number: 2001.386.1
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Man Ray
1920
Man Ray
1923
Gordon H. Coster
ca. 1935
Peter Hujar
1966
Lisette Model
1939–40, printed 1940s
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.