Dorothy Norman 1930 - 1931

This is a photograph of Dorothy Norman by Alfred Stieglitz. I can't help but wonder about the dynamic between photographer and sitter: the relationship, the power, the intimacy. What does it mean to capture someone's likeness, their presence? It feels like such a weighty responsibility. Norman looks directly at us; it is a forthright gaze, but I wonder, what was she thinking? Was she trying to project a certain image? Or was she just being herself, vulnerable and present in that moment? There's a seriousness in her expression that hints at something deeper, some interiority that remains just out of reach. In trying to see her, I want to know her; I want to understand the forces that shaped her gaze. Photographs always feel like fragments of time, small glimpses into a life that continues beyond the frame. It makes you question how a photographer chooses what to keep and what to leave out.