Florence, Italy, August 22, 1951. By Ruth OrkinPaul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
We will be pursuing a series of posts about photography, particularly of female photographers. This photograph, taken in the summer of 1951, at the Piazza del Rebublica in Florence, became Ruth Orkin’s iconic masterpiece. The image has a story:
Orkin, a 29 year old aspiring photojournalist, was traveling alone in Europe that summer. In Florence she met 23 year old “Jinx” Allen Craig who had quit her job in New York City to go by herself on a grand tour of Europe. While checking out a cheap hostel on the River Arno, she met Orkin. The two of them decided to become a team and investigate what it was like for a woman to travel alone on the continent. They set up photographs in a variety of situations such as sitting in a cafe, shopping in a market , etc.
In this photo, Orkin asked Craig to walk through the crowd of leering men. Orkin took only two frames, but for this shot, she asked the men not to look at the camera when Craig walked past a second time. This image became famous. Early on, the crotch grabbing was airbrushed out. Some critics discounted the photograph because they said it was set up and not spontaneous.
Others said that it showed harrassment of a woman on the streets of Florence, but “Jinx” Craig thought otherwise. She said, “It’s not a symbol of harassment. It’s a symbol of a woman having an absolutely wonderful time! I clutched my shawl to me because that sheaths the body. It was my protection, my shield. I was walking through a sea of men. I was enjoying every minute of it. They were Italian and I love Italians.”
Orkin became famous, and Craig eventually married an Italian man.
If you want to read more about this image and the people who made it, here is a link: American Girl in Italy (MessyNessy Chic)
SARAH VAUGHAN:
I am very familiar with the Vivian Maier story. There is an exhibit now in NYC and others throughout the world. Also check You Tube for this. And VivianMaier.com
As for the Blogfinger continuing exhibit about female photographers, you can do a search: Anne Brigman, Helen Levitt, Diane Arbus, Elizabeth Bick and Josephine Sacabo.
Also check out our posts about the still photographers who were present on the set of The Misfits.. I do repost these articles periodically.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
Way back in 1978, I visited Florence. At that time, there was a pedestrian underpass in front of the main train station with a ramp up to it. In the late afternoon, the railings would be filled with seated men attempting to touch women passing by. The women tended to keep to the center of the walkway to be out of reach.
I enjoyed reading about Orkin and Craig. I was unfamiliar with their work and look forward to more posts about women photographers. Are you familiar with Vivian Maier? I just watched the documentary “Finding Vivian Maier” and was impressed.
The Italians love their shoes, are you sure the men weren’t looking at her shoes instead of the woman?