In 1952, photographer Ruth Orkin was on her way back to NYC from a photo shoot in Israel. She stopped in Europe and while in Florence, Italy, she met another young American, Jinx, and together they took some random shots around the city. The one above is without question the most famous of the series.
While I adore the picture above, I equally love this one:
As a woman who spent a lot of time looking at and loving the city of Florence in her 20s, I can relate to both of the pictures above.
And then there is this one, which tells the opposite side of the coin:
Boy, can I relate to the exhaustion portrayed. Looking at art and wandering the city produces profound exhaustion! And Stendhal Syndrome as well.
When I first visited Florence in the late 1970s, the beaded curtains still served as “screens” keeping flies and sunlight out of store interiors. The same as above, the shot taken in 1952. You don’t find that anymore.
Below are 2 informative videos that will capture the moment for you.
get back, lauretta! 