Object Details
Artist
Berenice Abbott, 17 Jul 1898 - 9 Dec 1991
Sitter
Sylvia Woodbridge Beach, 14 Mar 1887 - 5 Oct 1962
Exhibition Label
Born Baltimore, Maryland
Sylvia Beach was eager for independence and passionate about books. In November 1919, she established an English-language lending library and bookshop in Paris. It soon became one of the most important hubs of literary modernism in Europe.
Beach’s decision in 1921 to publish James Joyce’s Ulysses brought her to the edge of bankruptcy. Against every rule, she allowed the author to continue writing and rewriting large sections of the book as it was being typeset. Thanks to her dangerous gamble, a classic of modern literature achieved its final form.
In 1928, Beach arrived at Berenice Abbott’s photography studio wearing a dark, shiny rain slicker and a white scarf. With a hand on her hip and an intense, over-the-shoulder stare, she adopted the pose of a dashing adventurer. She certainly was that. Her courageous self-reinvention as a businesswoman and book publisher changed literary history.
Nacida en Baltimore, Maryland
Sylvia Beach ansiaba la independencia y sentía pasión por los libros. En noviembre de 1919 estableció en París una librería y biblioteca de textos en inglés. Pronto esta se convirtió en uno de los centros más importantes del modernismo literario en Europa.
En 1921, Beach decidió publicar Ulises, de James Joyce, lo cual la llevó al borde la bancarrota. Contra toda norma, permitió al autor seguir escribiendo y rescribiendo extensas secciones del libro cuando estaba ya en la etapa tipográfica. Gracias a su peligrosa apuesta, nació un clásico de la literatura moderna.
Beach llegó al estudio fotográfico de Berenice Abbott en 1928 con un brilloso impermeable oscuro y una bufanda blanca. Con una mano en la cadera y la mirada intensa por encima del hombro, tenía la pose de un galante aventurero. Y en realidad lo era. Su valiente reinvención como mujer de negocios y editora de libros cambio´ la historia de la literatura.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Date
1928
Object number
NPG.93.69
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Berenice Abbott/Getty Images
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 9.5 x 8cm (3 3/4 x 3 1/8")
Mat: 45.7 x 35.6cm (18 x 14")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Costume\Jewelry\Ring
Sylvia Woodbridge Beach: Female
Sylvia Woodbridge Beach: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
Sylvia Woodbridge Beach: Arts and Culture\Literature\Publisher
Sylvia Woodbridge Beach: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Merchant
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.93.69