Photos: Irving Penn | 1917-2009
Penn photographed the American Ballet Theatre in New York in 1947. He revealed in his work a taste for stark simplicity whether he was shooting celebrity portraits, fashion, still life or remote places of the world. (©1947 Irving Penn / Photographic Arts Council)
Penn’s “Girl Behind Glass” was photographed in New York in 1949. In his early work, he used a few props -- a martini glass, a teapot or a bar stool, each one an elegant classic. Later he eliminated props and set his models against white or stormy gray backgrounds. (©1949 Irving Penn / Photographic Arts Council)