Richard Avedon was an American fashion and portrait photographer born in 1923. He began his career in 1944 working for a department store and was later promoted by the art director of Harper's Bazaar. By 1946, Avedon had set up his own studio and was providing photographs for Vogue and Life magazines. He showed emotion in his models rather than having them pose expressionless in a studio. The document then discusses three black and white photographs by Avedon - one from 1955 showing a model with elephants, one from 1949 of a model putting on makeup with rabbit ears, and one from 1957 of Marilyn Monroe with a plain backdrop.