By 1905, when this picture appeared, Daniel Chester French, who was largely self-taught, had established himself as the leading American sculptor of his generation. His first major commissions included the Minute Man monument in Concord, Massachusetts (1871-75), and the statue of John Harvard in Harvard Yard, Cambridge (1883-84). Much of French's work incorporates allegorical figures and themes, but he remains best known for his humanistic portrayal of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Here French poses before the camera of Zaida Ben-Yusuf, a respected portraitist whose Fifth Avenue studio in New York attracted much attention. Beginning in the fall of 1905, ARTnews—then known as American ARTnews—published a number of her photographic portraits of prominent artists.

Zaida Ben-Yusuf (active 1896-1915)
Gelatin silver print, 1905
Published October 21, 1905
ARTnews Collection, New York City