Maudelle Weston, 1939

Maudelle Bass Weston was a dancer and professional nude model who had worked for Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Diego Rivera and other artists. She first posed for Edward Weston in July 1939. In these nude studies, Weston shows her full body, characteristically incorporated into the natural surroundings. Weston saved 18 negatives of Maudelle, at least 12 of which have been published. Early prints of this image are rare and other examples can be found only in the collections of The University Art Museum, Bloomington, Indiana and The University of California, Santa Cruz.