Hats (Solarized), Paris

1934, printed 1988

Hats (Solarized), Paris, 1934, printed 1988. Ilse Bing (American, 1899–1998). Gelatin silver print; image: 33.9 x 25.3 cm (13 3/8 x 9 15/16 in.); paper: 35.4 x 27.9 cm (13 15/16 x 11 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg 2020.293 © Estate of Ilse Bing In 1934 Bing experimented with solarization, often employing it for night views of Paris to impart what she described as “a surrealistic atmosphere.” Her use of it yielded dreamlike, supernatural scenes. The technique involves briefly re-exposing a partially developed negative or print to light, which caused positive and negative values to reverse in some, but not all, areas of the image. Ilse Bing photographed designer accessories for fashion magazines but stumbled across these humble hats in a shop window.