The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
American Girl in Italy
1951, printed later
(American, 1921–1985)
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
Although this appears to be a candid shot, the photograph was staged, made with the cooperation of the woman and men.Description
Traveling through Italy, photojournalist Ruth Orkin met an American art student and decided to use her as the model in a photo essay about what it was like for a woman to travel alone in Europe. The woman strolls alone, enduring catcalls and amused smiles from a gauntlet of fifteen Italian men. “I’d had this photograph in my mind for years,” said Orkin, “ever since I had been old enough to go through the experience myself.”- {{cite web|title=American Girl in Italy|url=false|author=Ruth Orkin|year=1951, printed later|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2023.113