Object Details
Artist
Berenice Abbott, 17 Jul 1898 - 9 Dec 1991
Sitter
Djuna Chappell Barnes, 12 Jun 1892 - 19 Jun 1982
Exhibition Label
Born Storm King, New York
The writer Djuna Barnes dazzled everyone with her sharp wit, haughty manner, and stunning beauty. But her traumatic childhood made her feel estranged and shaped her writing. She channeled her creativity into dark, experimental poetry, plays, and fiction. In Ladies Almanack (1928), she playfully satirized the queer women in her social circle. Her novel Nightwood (1936) broke new ground as a lesbian love story expressed in a perplexing modernist style.
Barnes once complained to her friend Natalie Barney, “I am the most famous unknown of the century!” Yet another friend, the New Yorker journalist Janet Flanner (pictured nearby), considered Barnes “the most important woman writer we had in Paris.”
When Berenice Abbott took up photography in Paris, Barnes was among her first subjects. Her impeccable sense of style is evident in this photograph. The slight dip and tilt of her head add a seductive quality to her steady gaze.
Nacida en Storm King, Nueva York
La escritora Djuna Barnes deslumbraba a todos con su ingenio, su altivez y su belleza. Pero su niñez traumática la hacía sentir aislada e influyó en su escritura. Barnes canalizó su creatividad en oscuras obras experimentales de poesía, teatro y ficción. En El almanaque de las mujeres (1928) satirizó con humor a las mujeres queer de su círculo social. Su novela El bosque de la noche (1936) abrió brecha como relato de amor lésbico plasmado en un desconcertante estilo modernista.
En una ocasión, Barnes se quejó a su amiga Natalie Barney: “¡Soy la desconocida más famosa de siglo!”. Otra amiga, la periodista del New Yorker Janet Flanner (presentada cerca), consideraba a Barnes “la mujer escritora más importante que teníamos en París”.
Cuando Berenice Abbott se dedicó a la fotografía en París, Barnes fue de sus primeras modelos. Su impecable estilo es patente en esta foto. La ligera inclinación de la cabeza añade seducción a su mirada firme.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
1925
Object number
NPG.91.63
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Berenice Abbott/Getty Images
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 24 x 18.1 cm (9 7/16 x 7 1/8")
Mount: 26.6 x 20.2 cm (10 1/2 x 7 15/16")
Mat: 55.9 x 40.6 cm (22 x 16")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Costume\Jewelry\Necklace
Costume\Jewelry\Earring
Interior
Costume\Headgear\Turban
Djuna Chappell Barnes: Female
Djuna Chappell Barnes: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Poet
Djuna Chappell Barnes: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Novelist
Djuna Chappell Barnes: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer\Playwright
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.91.63