Variant of Fantasy on the Dance Floor
In Paris, Bassman scouted locations suited to her assignments. Sensing that an ornate room would detract from this Dior confection in muslin and lace, she dragged the dress up to a modest top-floor flat. Inside, she arranged a study in contrasts. The princess in the garret is an old trope, but Bassman followed it to formal ends, counterposing a cascade of frills against the crisp geometry of the interior. For the magazine, she and art director Alexey Brodovitch selected alternate views that emphasize the architecture. Here, the room’s angular eaves form a graphic frame that offsets the model’s attire.
Artwork Details
- Title: Variant of Fantasy on the Dance Floor
- Artist: Lillian Bassman (American, Brooklyn, New York 1917–2012 New York)
- Date: February 1949
- Medium: Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions: 10 × 8 in. (25.4 × 20.3 cm)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Gift of Lizzie and Eric Himmel, 2025
- Object Number: 2025.889.9
- Rights and Reproduction: © Estate of Lillian Bassman
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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Lillian Bassman (American, Brooklyn, New York 1917–2012 New York)
1950
Lillian Bassman (American, Brooklyn, New York 1917–2012 New York)
1949
Lillian Bassman (American, Brooklyn, New York 1917–2012 New York)
1952
Lillian Bassman (American, Brooklyn, New York 1917–2012 New York)
ca. 1950
Lillian Bassman (American, Brooklyn, New York 1917–2012 New York)
1951
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