Variant of Lighter Girdles, Rounder Curves

1948

Not on view

"The new foundations are a joy to wear," Harper’s Bazaar insisted in 1948. Bassman suspends our disbelief, showing off this girdle as if it were sportswear. With graphic acuity, she manipulated light and shadow to outline an ideal silhouette, drawing an implicit contrast between the stretchy new synthetics and the corsets of her youth.

Photographs from this assignment are among Bassman’s earliest freelance work, produced under contract for the Bazaar. She eventually established a commercial studio with her husband, photographer Paul Himmel, in 1951. Drawing on her experience as an art director, she continued to prioritize the design demands of the printed page.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Title: Variant of Lighter Girdles, Rounder Curves
Artist: Lillian Bassman (American, Brooklyn, New York 1917–2012 New York)
Date: 1948
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Dimensions: 12 1/8 × 9 in. (30.8 × 22.9 cm)
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Gift of Lizzie and Eric Himmel, 2025
Object Number: 2025.889.4
Rights and Reproduction: © Estate of Lillian Bassman
Curatorial Department: Photographs

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