A box of ten photographs by Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus with her photograph Identical twins, Roselle, NJ 1966, during a lecture at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1970. Photograph: Stephen A Frank

  In 1970, Diane Arbus was a struggling magazine photographer in New York City.
She wanted to make more money, so she put together a series of photos in a plexiglass box, which she called “A box of ten photographs by Diane Arbus”, priced at $1,000.
The photos highlight the outcasts of American society, such as giants, dwarves and transvestites. Arbus’s photos shocked and disgusted art crowds to the point they were when exhibited.
 As Norman Mailer observed: “Giving a camera to Diane Arbus is like putting a live grenade in the hands of a child.” This controversial series, taken from 1962 to 1967, are now on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC.
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