Cézine

I shot two versions of this picture at an outdoor flea market in Köln (Cologne), West Germany, in the summer of 1976 — this one, and a closeup of the doll's face. They're two of my favorite photos I've ever taken, and one of the very few regrets I have in my life is that I didn't buy the doll when I had the chance.

Early in '77, back in the US and trying to make a living selling matted and framed prints of the best of my Europe pictures at art shows, this was one of the images I was able to sell. I titled and numbered and framed each print, and called this one Cézine after the brand name on the coffee urn.

One day, a young couple bought the Cézine closeup — and, as they walked away from my booth, I heard her gush that it would be perfect for their downstairs bathroom. That was my last art show.

Three years later, in 1982, I was living in Amsterdam, and Loeb Uitgevers BV did a trade-paperback collection of my short stories, titled Uitnodiging tot Moord. Publisher Peter Loeb agreed to use the closeup version of the Cézine photo as the front cover for the book, and you can see the way it turned out here. (Use your browser's Back button to return to this page.)

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