Busby Berkeley, New York

1976

Busby Berkeley, New York, 1976. Irving Penn (American, 1917–2009). Gelatin silver print, contact sheet; paper: 25.4 x 20.3 cm (10 x 8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift from the Collection of Mark Schwartz + Bettina Katz 2020.44 © The Irving Penn Foundation One of Vogue’s top photographers, Irving Penn was known for his arresting portraits of celebrities. He would often expose up to 10 rolls of film, or 120 frames, to make a single portrait. They were first printed as contact sheets—pieces of photographic paper containing positive prints the same size as the negatives—so that the artist could select the ones to be enlarged. Occasionally, Penn would give the contact sheets as gifts once the final image was selected. Busby Berkeley was a director and choreographer in Hollywood. His perfectly synchronized routines resembled kaleidoscope patterns formed by scantily clad dancers.