IRVING PENN (1917-2009)

On assignment for Vogue following the war, Penn took residence just outside of Florence, in the hills behind the Piazzale Michelangelo. His attention was soon caught by the innocent face of a young Italian child living in a house nearby. Elisabetta Cristiana Giuffrida-Ruggeri was five at the time she became Penn's sitter. 'I remember going into the garden with Penn and picking a tiny bouquet of flowers and then sitting in a chair in the living room, whilst he spoke to me and took many photos. He had a way of making me feel at ease.'

This print is one of four prints made in 1948 by Penn as gifts for the family; one is in private hands and the other two are missing. This lot is accompanied by seven contact sheets from the sitting (with credit and date stamps) and a hand-written letter from Penn to Nerina, the sitter's mother.