Brittney Dicker's Artist Statement:

For this assignment I decided to replicate a photograph by Edward Steichen. He was known for photographing celebrities as one of his top specialties. The photograph I selected was of Gloria Swanson behind a veil. It was taken in 1924 during her prime years. The dramatic feel of the photograph instantly captured my attention. Swanson was a well-known star in the 1920s. This photograph was also one of the most celebrated portraits that Steichen has taken.
My version of the photograph was taken of my younger sister Jordan who is 16 years old. I always ask her to model for my photographs because she is so comfortable in front of the camera and looks amazing in all of them. Jordan resembles some of the womanly features of Gloria Swanson: her shaped eyebrows, long lashes, and lips. Steichen tends to use sharp focus and props in his photograph, so I made sure that I was able to grab a black lace cloth to match his image. Although the lace is not in the same position as in Steichen’s photograph, I still think I utilized it well to create the same approach. I wanted to grab the viewers’ attention by having Jordan’s eyes be the dominant focus in my photograph. The time of the day is unsure but both images have sparkling eyes that are being reflected by some sort of light. The facial expression is revealing sex appeal and fierceness. The whole purpose in my idea of portraying this image was to attract other peoples’ eyes to my photograph. My sister is basically forming a connection with the audience or whoever is viewing the photograph. I am still capturing the 1920s style but mixed with a little 21st century flow.
This photo project was a great opportunity to express my photography abilities and to incorporate technology and culture from today’s world with styles back in the 20s.