Ruth Orkin's legendary photo series "An American Woman in Florence"

Ruth Orkin (1921-1985) was an American photographer and filmmaker. She grew up in Hollywood, where her mother was a silent film actress. In 1939, Orkin studied photojournalism at Los Angeles City College. During World War II, she served in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps before moving to New York in 1943. Orkin moved to New York in 1943 and began working as a photographer in nightclubs. She later became a successful freelance photographer, traveling around the world and selling her photographs to publications such as Life, Look and Ladies’ Home Journal.

Ruth Orkin became famous thanks to the photograph "An American Woman in Italy", taken by her in 1951. On it, she captured 23-year-old Ninali Craig (then known as Jinx Allen). Orkin noticed how the men were looking at Allen walking down the street, and photographed this moment. The photographer asked Allen to walk down the street again to take another photo just in case.

In the 1970s, Orkin taught photography at the School of Visual Arts and at the International Center of Photography. She died of cancer in her Manhattan apartment at the age of 63.

(15 photos in total)

Source: LiveJournal/humus

1. An American woman in Italy

2. You need to go that way

3. Near the American Express office

4. Couple in the car

5. Jinx and Justin flirt in a cafe

6. Jinx and Ruth on the balcony

7. Jinx in flight glasses

8. Jinx walks through the curtain

9. Bargaining with the shop owner

10. Ruth Orkin in Italy

11. Jinx looks at

12. Jinx and cars

13. Jinx and the Statue

14. Treasure Tours

15. Ruth Orkin (left) and Ninali Craig (Jinx Allen) together again after twenty years