This is a black and white image taken by Erwin Blumenfeld in 1939 showing a model wearing a long dress and hanging onto the Eiffel Tower, the composition on this image is very well thought out, the city of Paris stretching out into the background shows the detail on the buildings at the bottom of the photo and the vastness of the city as you look up the image. Although we can only see a small section of the Eiffel Tower in the right corner of the image we can still tell what it is due to its iconic structure, the geometric shapes and bold lines also act as leading lines in the image leading our eyes up and towards the models stretched out arm. The geometric shapes in the structure are echoed in the model’s long tartan dress which is flowing in the wind. The photographer could have been trying to communicate the idea of freedom and sublime in this photo, with the scene from way above the city it almost gives the idea of separation from the busy life on the streets bellow. The image has two opposing elements, the industrial look of the metal structure and the natural and soft look of the women and her dress, these two ideas are also reflected in the vast scene of the city bellow which I shown from a unique perspective. We are used to seeing images of cities from ground level looking up portraying them as busy, big and important however this image unusually does the opposite.

The women in this photograph is Lisa Fonssagrives, a Swedish model known as the first ever supermodel, she was born in 1911 and was trained as a dancer and sculptor. In 1936 she was first photographed and due to her natural elegance ability to be comfortable in front of the camera. These photos were sent to Vogue who then invited her for more test shots. Over the next tree years she continued to work as a model becoming one of the most sought after models at the time, featuring on many magazine throughout her career. The photo was taken for Vogue for the 50th anniversary of the tower dress by Lucien Lelong. In the 1930’s a new style of women’s magazine was emerging, it focused on female beauty. This photo was taken just before France was occupied by the Germans in WW2 and could reflect the last moments of freedom before Paris was occupied.