Dorothy Norman (b. 1903-), Philadelphia, libertarian editor, author intimate of Nehru, Indira Gandhi often stayed in her house on East 70th Manhattan, I met Martin Luther King in this same room, Companion of Alfred Stieglitz who photographed her form so many times her hands, her own photographs of him are seen in several books. I used to visit here, eat cookies & drinks tea, several times a year. Still Alive 1995!

Art Historical Context

In this intimate 1987 gelatin silver print, Beat poet Allen Ginsberg captures Norman (b. 1903), a Philadelphia-born libertarian editor, author, and whose life bridged artistic, literary, and political worlds. Norman's Manhattan townhouse on East 70 Street hosted luminaries likeaharlal Nehru,ira Gandhi—who often stayed there—and Martin Luther King Jr., Ginsberg himself met in very room. A close companion of Alfred Stglitz, who famously photographed her hands repeatedly, Norman reciprocated by documenting him in images featured in several books. Ginsberg's own handwritten title notes his fond vi...

About the Artist

Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg (1926–1997), born in Newark, New Jersey, emerged as a multifaceted figure in American culture, best known as a Beat Generation poet but also a prolific visual artist whose photographs, drawings, and prints captured the raw energy of his era. His early life offers little documentation on artistic training, though he attended Columbia University in the 1940s, where he formed connectio...