Mary (born March 20, 1940, Pennsylvania U.S.—died May 25, 2015) had been travelling for over five decades to create photographs that reflect a high degree of humanism. Being recognised as one of the most influential and respected photographers, her cultural photos have become landmarks in the field of documentary photography. She has spent many years in India including portrayals of Mother Teresa, Indian circuses, and brothels in Bombay. Since graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1962, she has earned a masters degree in photojournalism. She also published her first book named ‘Passport’ containing a selection of her images from 1963 through to 1973.

Context behind the image:

The subject is a girl names Tiny, who was 13 years old at the time when Mary Ellen Mark first met her. Mark was impressed with her confidence in front of a camera , and over time developed a friendship with her. Over the years she continued to photograph her. In this shoot, Tiny wears her Halloween costume that she put together to re-create the look of a French prostitute. Tiny dreamed about horses, yachts, diamonds, and jewels as a child. Twenty years later, she was the mother of nine children.

Before Mark passed away in 2015, She finished her decades long project ‘Streetwise‘ with Tiny. Now Mark’s rich retrospective, Tiny: Streetwise Revisited, is making its debut appearance in Palm Beach, Florida’s Norton Museum through March 20, 2016.