Self-Portrait in Mirrors Possibly 1931 - 1989

Ilse Bing made this photograph, Self-Portrait in Mirrors, sometime in the 20th century using photography. Looking at this, I imagine Bing setting up her camera, positioning the mirrors just so, trying to capture not just her image, but her essence, or at least a playful, fragmented version of it. The light, the shadows, the multiple reflections—it's like she's building a space, a world, right there in her studio. It's really cool to see how she's playing with perspective, with depth, and with the idea of the self. It reminds me of how painters like Picasso or Braque messed with perspective to show different views at once. Bing's doing something similar here, but with mirrors and a camera. It's like she's saying, "Hey, the self isn't just one thing. It's a bunch of different angles, reflections, and possibilities." And that camera right in the foreground—it's like she's inviting us into the process, into the act of seeing and being seen.