Self-Portrait as Woman

Art Historical Context

In the early 1920s, Hungarian photographer André Kertész created this whimsical *Self-Portrait as Woman a tiny gelatin silver print measuring just 3.8 x 5.4 cm. Captured during the formative years of his career—before his move to Paris in 1925—this intimate image showcases Kertész's playful with identity and self-representation. Dressed in feminine attire, he gazes coyly at the camera, blending humor with the era's emerging modernist spirit in photography. Kertész, a pioneer of 20th-century photography, was known for his innovative use of unusual angles, distortions, and everyday subjects, influencing generations of photographers. The gelatin silver process, popular in the interwar period, allowed for sharp detail and rich tonal range in small formats like this one, evoking the snapshot aesthetic that democratized personal imagery. This self-portrait highlights his lighthearted approach, challenging gender norms in a time of artistic rebellion. Now housed in the National Gallery of Art thanks to a gift from The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, the work invites visitors to appreciate photography's power to explore the self with joy and ingenuity. Its miniature scale draws you close, revealing the tender humanity behind the lens.

About the Artist

André Kertész · 1894–1985

André Kertész, born Andor Kertész on July 2, 1894, in Budapest, Hungary, to a middle-class Jewish family, initially pursued a conventional path as a clerk at the Budapest Stock Exchange after graduating from the Academy of Commerce in 1912. Self-taught in photography after purchasing his first camera that year, he captured his early poetic visions of Hungarian landscapes and peasant life, includin...