Lili St. Cyr in her Dressing Room

Known for his dynamic street photographs and restless desire to understand what the world looked like in photographs, Garry Winogrand spent his early career covering human interest stories for a variety of popular magazines. As a teenager he worked as an extra in the ballet, and the experience left a deeply sensual impression on him: he later responded powerfully to bodies in motion, photographing dancers, boxers, or people on the beach. This photograph of Lili St. Cyr was probably made on assignment, although it was never published. St. Cyr—upon whom Marilyn Monroe was said to have modeled some of her performances—was a well-known burlesque dancer who had gained increased notoriety from a 1951 obscenity lawsuit. Here, Winogrand showed her in a more intimate moment backstage, mid-gesture and performing for no one. Winogrand’s obsessive fascination with women would lead him to make the extensive portfolio Women Are Beautiful in 1975.