Greta Garbo Poster, Paris

With her camera pointed upward from the narrow street, Ilse Bing captured this view of Parisian buildings and signage. Her image reveals an engaging intersection of different geometric planes. Additionally, the lilting poster on a crumbling wall obscuring Greta Garbo’s eyes makes this an oddly enigmatic image, reflecting early 20th-century Surrealism’s emphasis on dreamlike scenarios. Bing represented a newer generation of photographers in the early 20th century who adopted smaller portable cameras to explore their environments and uncover unexpected details. She was one of the first to use a Leica 35mm camera, and—unfettered by tripods and negative holders—she generated innovative compositions for both private and commercial purposes.