Photogram of woman in profile,

ca. 1935

By the time Maar created this image, she was one of the most accomplished camera artists within the Surrealist circle. However, her well-known relationship with Pablo Picasso often meant that her experimental photographs were eclipsed by her public persona. This work augments a straight photographic print through the use of the photogram—or camera-less—technique of exposure. To create it, Maar placed three glass goblets near the top edge of a sheet of photographic paper and projected a negative of a model’s head onto the paper. Because the goblets’ bases were in contact with the surface of the paper, they appear in sharp focus and look like enormous jewels on the model’s hat. The upper portions of the vessels register as less distinct refractions.