Advertisement for Coty Lipstick (J. Walter Thompson Agency)

Artist Edward Steichen (American, born Luxembourg, 1879 - 1973)

Date1935

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 9 11/16 × 7 5/8 inches (24.61 × 19.37 cm)
Sheet: 9 7/8 × 7 15/16 inches (25.08 × 20.16 cm)

Credit LineGift of the Hall Family Foundation

Object number2005.37.320

Signednone

Inscribednone

MarkingsOn sheet recto, right edge, in negative: "1568-3 COTY"; On sheet verso, lower left, in pencil: [? possibly "c7-12".

On View

Not on view

Collections

Photography

Terms

DescriptionPortrait of a man and a woman smiling. The woman is looking into a mirrored plant stand and applying lipstick. The man is holding her other hand, and smoking a cigarette. A vase with flowers is on top of the mirrored plant stand.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

American Art Deco: Designing for the People, 1918-1939, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri; July 9 2022–January 8 2023, no cat.

Gallery Label

Edward Steichen had many careers in photography: as an artist, wartime and fashion photographer, and museum curator. This photograph, made while Steichen served as chief photographer for Condé Nast’s magazines Vogue and Vanity Fair, demonstrates his ability to fuse modern artistic movements with commercial imperatives. Here, Steichen uses a faceted mirror to fracture space and show multiple sides of the models. This spatial complexity evokes Cubism and Surrealism, but for a commercial purpose. Steichen’s dramatic lighting echoes Hollywood tropes, conjuring the aura of glamour and desire often used to sell beauty products.

Provenance

Hall Family Foundation, Kansas City, MO, 2005;
Given by the Hall Family Foundation to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2005.

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.