The King and Queen of a Senior Citizens Dance, N.Y.C., 1970, printed later

  • Diane Arbus, American, 1923-1971

Gelatin silver print

  • Image: 16 × 15 3/8 inches (40.6 × 39.1 cm) Sheet: 19 7/8 × 16 7/8 inches (50.5 × 42.9 cm)

Founders Society Purchase, Mary Martin Semmes Fund, Barbara L. Scripps Fund, Edna Burian Skelton Fund

F80.174

Diane Arbus was influenced by press photographer Weegee and his images of New York crime scenes and street life; she was also a student of Lisette Model, who often exploited her subjects as isolated figures in a stark, unflattering manner. In the square format portraits characteristic of her work, Arbus incorporated the humor of Weegee’s graphic, urban style and the sardonic representations of human existence prevalent in the work of Model. The image is typical of Arbus’s documentary style, which appears both as a record and as an insight into the psychology of the subjects depicted. While employed as a press photographer, Arbus was assigned to a senior citizens’ dance. She wrote this caption: “Their numbers were picked out of a hat. They were just chosen King and Queen of a senior citizens’ dance in N.Y.C. Yetta Granat is 72 and Charles Fahrer is 79. They have never met before.”

Signed, on verso: Doon Arbus

Stamp on verso, upper left: not to be reproduced in any way without | written permission from Doon Arbus. Stamp on verso in black ink, upper right: a diane arbus print #6972-6-IU-1620 | doon arbus administrator Doon Arbus

(Edwyn Houk Gallery, New York, New York, USA)

1980-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

Diane Arbus, The King and Queen of a Senior Citizens Dance, N.Y.C., 1970, printed later, gelatin silver print. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Mary Martin Semmes Fund, Barbara L. Scripps Fund, Edna Burian Skelton Fund, F80.174.