Diane Arbus biography

Diane Arbus was an influential photographer, who was famously known for exposing controversial images which glorified the culture of marginalized people.  She fame rose to a peak at around the early 1960’s when she quit her job as her husband's art director, who took promotional photos for magazines, such as Vogue, and Glamour. She started off by taking photos of people in the street then later evolved into a more professional artist. During her death, her popularity grew exponentially, transforming her into one of the greatest photographers of her time.

    She was born in New York City, by a wealthy family in March 14, 1923. Since her family was well-off, Diane lived throughout the Great Depression without any conflict, her parents would place restrictions upon them, to keep them from understanding, or recognizing the state the world was in. It wasn’t until after the depression however, when her family had become publicly known for their artistic skills and their creativity. Her siblings rose to popularity by becoming artists and writers. Achievements and traits that would later influence the art and photographic evolution of Diane.

Diane Arbus’s many artistic influences came from photographers; Alfred Stieglitz, Mathew Brady, Timothy Sullivan, Paul Strand, and Bill Brandt. She was roughly known for her photos which depicted people with physical deformities, or people who were classified in society as peculiar, or freakish. Certain groups of people which she often included in her photos were dwarfs, giants, transgender people, nudists, and circus performers.  She was especially famous for including mental patients which were held in mental asylums in her photos. Exposing the care and treatment which were given to the patients in those hospitals.

During the late 1960’s her style of photography became heavily controversial to the public, and many have argued (especially the models in her photos) whether her pieces humiliated the subject or the viewer. After her death in July 26, 1971, Diane’s photos became even more popular, and Diane became a legend.  

House of Pearls-These images of mental patients helped America understand the physical and mental abuse that most mental patients suffered in these asylums.

Untitled 1- Subjects that most people would find abnormal- especially during the 50’s and 60’s- were subjects that Diane was known for recording. It was these topics that Diane released to the world, which helped people identify social norms.

Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967- The actual name of the twins were Cathleen and Colleen Wade. Both were depicted to have different expressions. One formed a slight frown with her mouth, the other formed a smile. The parents actually showed great disappointment with this photo, they stated "We thought it was the worst likeness of the twins we'd ever seen." It is said that the photo, helped inspire a scene from a Stanley Kubrick horror movie titled “The Shining”, where the ghosts of two girls can be seen in a long hallway.