Silver gelatin print entitled 'Gloria Swanson', by Edward Steichen, 1924.

Silver gelatin print entitled 'Portrait of Gloria Swanson', by Edward Steichen, 1924.

Edward Steichen (1879 - 1973) was born in Luxembourg in 1879 but became a naturalised US citizen at the turn of the century. A successful and diverse photographer, Steichen worked for various influential publications including Vogue and Vanity Fair.

Steichen is known in particular for his collaboration with Alfred Stieglitz and his directorship of the Photographic Department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1955, at MOMA, Steichen organised The Family of Man exhibition, now regarded as one of the most important exhibitions in photography’s history.

This glamorous photograph, taken by Steichen 1924, is one of a collection of celebrity portraits commissioned by Vanity Fair magazine. At once chic and elegant, Swanson boldly gazes at the viewer. Swanson's power is accentuated by the directness of Steichen's portrait, and his use of the lace's pattern to frame her face.