Lot Essay
'Ormond Gigli was a New York based commercial and editorial photographer, but he is best known for the self-assigned image "Girls in the Windows" which he shot in 1960. To make the picture Gigli persuaded 41 models (without pay) to stand in the windows of four brownstones across from his East 58th Street studio the day before the buildings were to be demolished. There was one snag: the windows were partially filled with glass. Gigli asked the crew foreman if he could clear the glass, and the foreman agreed on the condition that his wife be included in the photograph. Luckily for Gigli she was an attractive brunette and he placed her third from the left on the third floor. (She wears a green dress).' - James Danziger