All Paris in a Box
Photograph
1952 (photographed), 1994 (printed)
1952 (photographed), 1994 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Ilse Bing (1899-1998) was one of several leading women photographers in the inter-war period. Born into a Jewish family in Frankfurt, she initially pursued an academic career before moving to Paris in 1930 to concentrate on photography. This image was taken in 1952 when Bing lived in New York, having been forced to emigrate from Europe in 1941 during the Second World War. This was her second trip back to Paris, where she had lived throughout the 1930s. The effect of war and the atom bomb led to Bing capturing more impersonal, distanced perspectives of the city.
In this photograph we do not see the vendor's face, just hands clutching at the handbag. Bing had become a tourist in Paris, and as well as hinting at hard times during the war, this image conjures up the commercialisation and movement of the modern city. We are positioned as a potential tourist/buyer, looking down upon the souvenirs of the city.
In this photograph we do not see the vendor's face, just hands clutching at the handbag. Bing had become a tourist in Paris, and as well as hinting at hard times during the war, this image conjures up the commercialisation and movement of the modern city. We are positioned as a potential tourist/buyer, looking down upon the souvenirs of the city.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | All Paris in a Box (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Gelatin-silver print |
| Brief description | 'All Paris in a Box', photograph by Ilse Bing (1899-1998), 1952, printed 1994 |
| Physical description | The focal point of this photograph is an open wooden briefcase filled with souvenirs of Paris. In the background is a seated female figure holding a handbag. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Credit line | Bequeathed by Ilse Bing Wolff |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Ilse Bing (1899-1998) was one of several leading women photographers in the inter-war period. Born into a Jewish family in Frankfurt, she initially pursued an academic career before moving to Paris in 1930 to concentrate on photography. This image was taken in 1952 when Bing lived in New York, having been forced to emigrate from Europe in 1941 during the Second World War. This was her second trip back to Paris, where she had lived throughout the 1930s. The effect of war and the atom bomb led to Bing capturing more impersonal, distanced perspectives of the city. In this photograph we do not see the vendor's face, just hands clutching at the handbag. Bing had become a tourist in Paris, and as well as hinting at hard times during the war, this image conjures up the commercialisation and movement of the modern city. We are positioned as a potential tourist/buyer, looking down upon the souvenirs of the city. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.3070-2004 |
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| Record created | October 31, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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