Head of a Dancer, Berlin

Photographer: Lotte Jacobi, American (born Germany), 1896–1990
Date: 1929, printed later
Material: Gelatin silver print
photographed in: Berlin, Berlin state, Germany, Europe
Classification: Photographs
Collection: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: image: 7 x 9 in. (17.8 x 22.8 cm)
sheet: 7 1/2 in. x 10 in. (19 x 25.4 cm)
framed: 15 3/8 x 20 3/8 in. (39.1 x 51.8 cm)
Credit Line: Funds given in honor of Bess Horwitz by her children
Rights: © Lotte Jacobi Archive, University of New Hampshire
Object Number: 136:1982

NOTES

Lotte Jacobi was known for her images of theater and dance. Her most graphically compelling portrait was of the Russian dancer Niura Norskaya. Titled anonymously here as "Head of a Dancer," Jacobi emphasizes the formal perfection of her arrangement. The dancer’s face seems to float against an oversized black hat as she stares impassively forward. The image is composed entirely of curved and ovoid elements where every feature rhythmically echoes the others, creating a sense of timeless beauty.

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