Eleanor Holm and Helene Madison

Artist

Edward Jean Steichen, 27 Mar 1879 - 25 Mar 1973

Sitter

Eleanor Holm, 6 Dec 1913 - 31 Jan 2004

Helene Madison, 1913 - 1970

Exhibition Label

Eleanor Holm 1913–2004

Born Brooklyn, New York

Helene Madison 1913–1970

Born Madison, Wisconsin

In its September 1932 issue, Vanity Fair reported that the U.S. women’s swim team at the recent Los Angeles Olympics had boasted "angels who would fit into a Ziegfeld chorus." In support of that declaration on the opposite page was this photograph of Eleanor Holm (standing) and Helene Madison (sitting). Comeliness, however, was the least of this pair’s story. Holm, who had in fact once turned down an invitation to be a Ziegfeld girl, claimed thirty-five U.S. swimming championships between 1927 and 1936, and at Los Angeles she had taken gold in the backstroke. Madison, a ten-time record holder in the freestyle, was not to be outdone, winning three gold medals of her own.

Edward Steichen’s picture of Holm and Madison testifies to the brilliant sense of design that shaped much of his work.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; acquired in memory of Agnes and Eugene Meyer through the generosity of Katharine Graham and the New York Community Trust, The Island Fund

1932

Object number

NPG.2001.25

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Conde Nast

Type

Photograph

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image: 24.2 x 19.3cm (9 1/2 x 7 5/8")

Sheet: 25.2 x 20.2cm (9 15/16 x 7 15/16")

Mat: 55.9 x 40.6cm (22 x 16")

Place

United States\California\Los Angeles\Los Angeles

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Exterior\Sports arena

Eleanor Holm: Female

Eleanor Holm: Sports and Recreation\Athlete\Swimmer

Eleanor Holm: Olympic Medal

Helene Madison: Female

Helene Madison: Sports and Recreation\Athlete\Swimmer

Helene Madison: Olympic Medal

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2001.25

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm49a076ecb-ad17-44bd-9cb5-ef0baa0faca0