Lotte Jacobi (aka Johanna Alexandra Jacobi Reiss)
American-German, b. 1896
Head of a Dancer (Niura Norskaya), 1929 (printed 1983)
Gelatin silver print (Photographed in Berlin, Germany)
Gift of the artist in memory of Seymour Adelman
2011.19.1

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Photography is a medium that defies timelines and linear structure. Jacobi, who is best known for her photographic portraiture, came from a lineage of photographers and first entered the family photography business in 1927; this is around the same time she took up photography as an art form, however her first photograph was taken with a pinhole camera at age 12.

or twisted cellophane were used to interrupt the beams from a flashlight positioned above a piece of photographic paper. Head of a Dancer is a perfect culmination of Jacobi’s early portraiture works, for which she gained notability.

During her time in Berlin, Jacobi became notable for her depictions of the city’s dynamic and animated night and cultural life. After fleeing from the Nazi’s to New York, Jacobi’s focus shifted from portraiture to abstract images and landscapes. "photogenics" of the 1950s are cameraless photographs, in which pieces of glass

Visual Description


Head of a Dancer (Niura Norskaya), 1929 (printed 1983) is a gelatin silver print, black and white photograph. It is 10 3/16 in. x 13 in. (25.88 cm x 33.02 cm). The photograph depicts a woman directly facing the camera and gazing out at the viewer. The dancer’s face seems to float against an oversized black hat as she stares impassively forward. The dancer’s dark features and makeup contrast with her pale face and in turn creates a synthesis with the dark background surrounding her. She draws the viewer in by returning their gaze towards her in what seems to be an apathetic acknowledgement. The image is composed entirely of curved and ovoid elements where every feature rhythmically echoes the others, creating a sense of timeless beauty. Jacobi captures the figure in direct confrontation with the viewer, introducing an unconventional approach to portraiture of the time. Jacobi, herself, seems to reflect her famous portraiture, a description of Jacobi in her studio exemplifies this, stating, “the studio is dark, but from a doorway at the tar end of the room, the 83-year-old photographer suddenly appears, her face emerging out of the darkness as if disembodied. Her wrinkles seem drawn on. Two dark eyes stare boldly out into the fog; they are mesmerizing,” unequivocally drawing reference to Head of a Dancer and the stark contrast that beautifully composes the photograph.

Maeve Donnelly, Bryn Mawr class of 2021