Image size is 19 7/8 x 18 7/8 inches (50.5 x 47.9 cm); paper size is 20 x 19 inches (50.8 x 48.3 cm).

This image is from a series of bodybuilder distortions using Fun House mirrors. This work along with others from the series were on exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York.

Lillian Bassman (American, 1917-2012) began her professional life working as a textile designer and fashion illustrator before becoming a professional photographer. Bassman is best known for the work she did for Harper’s Bazaar, where she worked from the 1940s to the 1960s and collaborated with important figures at the iconic magazine including Richard Avedon, Robert Frank, and Alexey Brodovitch, who was her mentor at the publication. Her photographs had a classic and elegant feel, were primarily done in black and white. Bassman also used certain techniques in the darkroom to create a style all her own. She would often blur and bleach her images during the developing process to create stylized images with deep contrasts and an overall sense of romanticism.