Anjelica Huston 1968

This arresting black and white photograph captures Anjelica Huston, taken by Philippe Halsman sometime in the mid-20th century. Halsman was a master of portraiture, and this image speaks to the way photography, as an artistic institution, was used to construct celebrity and project idealised images of beauty. Consider the image’s visual codes. The soft lighting and Huston's pose evoke classical portraiture, yet there's a raw, almost unposed quality. Made in America, this was a period of great change, with emerging feminist voices questioning traditional representations of women. Is this photograph a celebration of female beauty or a subtle commentary on the objectification inherent in the Hollywood system? Does Huston's gaze challenge or comply with the viewer’s expectations? To understand better, we might look at photography journals of the time, celebrity magazines, and even studio archives. In the end, our interpretation of this image is always filtered through the lens of our own social and institutional context.