Barbette Dressing

Man Ray American
1926
Not on view
This photograph is a backstage portrait of Barbette, a notorious and popular female impersonator, high-wire entertainer, and trapeze artist. It belongs to a series that Man Ray made on commission for Surrealist author Jean Cocteau, who championed Barbette as a consummate performer. Barbette’s heavily made-up face, wig, and muscular torso suggest a provocative conflation of differently gendered attributes. The harness secured around his waist hints at the daring and athletic spectacle of his show.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Barbette Dressing
  • Artist: Man Ray (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1890–1976 Paris)
  • Date: 1926
  • Medium: Gelatin silver print
  • Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.5 cm. (4 1/8 x 2 15/16 in.)
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987
  • Object Number: 1987.1100.357
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

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