Original bromoil silver gelatin photograph of the iconic singer and actress lounging in a chair, as captured by the important photographer. Photographer's ink stamp on reverse of mount. Printing on the negative border (indicating paper type) covered with black ink on the photograph probably by photographer; skinning and yellow-brown adhesive on the upper part of the mount, tape remnants on mount verso, else fine.  Dimensions: photo: 8 x 10 inches mounted to 11 x 13 inches. Secured to a 11 x 14 inch mat. 

An extraordinary original Steichen photograph with special provenance from the subject herself, from the personal collection of Marlene Dietrich, thence to the collection of Paul McMahon, a critic, photographer and artist who worked for more than 13 years touring with Marlene Dietrich as the icon’s stage manager, announcer, dresser, secretary and escort.

Working in the early years of photography, Edward Steichen developed a groundbreaking, widely influential approach to the medium as he shot studio, aerial, editorial, and commercial pictures. Originally trained as a painter, Steichen made frames early in his career that embraced the soft focus, atmospheric composition, and retouched details that were also common to Alfred Stieglitz’s Pictorialist approach. During World War I, Steichen shifted to aerial photography in order to help the war effort. His subsequent work embraced a sleek, modernist aesthetic, which is reflected throughout the iconic fashion photographs he took while working at Vanity Fair and Vogue. He later became the director of the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art. Steichen has been the subject of solo shows at MoMA, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the International Center of Photography, and the George Eastman Museum. His work has sold for millions on the secondary market.