[Diane Arbus in a Photograph Studio, Coney Island, New York]
Unknown
Person in photograph Diane Arbus American
Not on view
This unique photograph made in a Coney Island portrait studio is highly staged by Arbus herself. The mat is stamped "16th ST. near BOARDWALK // CONEY ISLAND" placing Arbus in one of her most frequented New York City locales. Arbus made 130 rolls of film in Coney Island and often directed her camera at boardwalk attractions such as tattoo parlors and photograph studios, where visitors could have their portrait made with their choice of painted background (as Arbus did) or with their faces seen through a novelty "Head in the Hole" cutout board. The Diane Arbus Archive contains a print titled Photo studio with hula girls cutout, Coney Island, N.Y. 1957 which depicts a similar scene. There are no known copies or variants of this object.
