American Girl in Italy, photo by Ruth Orkin

American Girl in Italy, photographed by Ruth Orkin, is one of favourite photos. It’s been hanging in my room at my parents’ house (yes, I still have one there) ever since I bought it at Ikea at least 10 years ago. When I look at it, I think about Italy, I think about fashion, and I think about how the lady in the photo felt as the center of attention.

While I have owned this photo for so long, it was only this past week that I learned about how it all came to be (why I have never researched this before beats me!). So as the story goes…Ruth and Jinx (the “American Girl”) met while each travelling alone in Europe. Women travelling alone in the 1950s was not as common as it is today and Ruth came up with an idea to photograph Jinx to show “what it was really like”.

Jinx Allen, who is now known as Ninalee Craig, is as beautiful and stylish now as she was then. Here she is at an exhibit wearing the same orange scarf she wore in the photograph.

image via The Toronto Star, via You May Be Wandering

And while American Girl in Italy may be the most-recognizable photo, the others in the collection are also quite amusing and full of life.

photos via Ruth Orkin Archive

Thanks Mom for sending this my way.