Mysterious and dynamic, Girl Behind Bottle represents a major turning point in fashion photography at Vogue as well as an important moment in Irving Penn’s illustrious fashion career. Taken only a few years into his tenure at the magazine, Penn was still developing his signature style and exploring new ways in which to portray the latest fashions to Vogue’s audience. During the late 1940s and into the 1950s, Penn’s fashion work evolved in favor of more subjective, expressive forms. He was a master of the implied narrative, imbuing works with mystery and the implication of independence, romance and travel. In this way, Penn’s images elevated the traditional commercial depictions of fashion into powerful statements of feminine power, merging the visual languages of art and couture. In Girl Behind Bottle, Penn positioned Jean Pachett, a top model of the time and one of his most prominent muses, partially obstructed by a glass bottle and out of focus. Instead of foregrounding the model directly, Penn chose to present her as the outline and ideal of beauty and style. A sharp departure from classic portraiture and traditional retail imagery, Penn was able to conjure a dreamlike image. The present lot is a platinum-palladium print from the edition of thirty-three; only six platinum-palladium prints of this iconic image have ever come to auction