"For me the subject of the picture is always more important than the picture. And more complicated."
—Diane Arbus
When Arbus began her personal photographic career in the late 1950s, children were one of the subjects she was drawn to – capturing natural moments of innocence and confidence with her signature, strikingly intimate aesthetic. Amy Arbus, Diane Arbus’s youngest daughter, was nine years old when photographed here. Skipping rope barefoot, with loose hair and wearing a girlish dress, Amy is isolated in timeless monochrome against a street backdrop. She recalls, ‘[my mother] used to love to photograph me and I felt it was the most incredible, loving thing for a kid […] I don’t remember a lot of discussion or direction, but she photographed me jumping rope and on the bus and walking down the street.’