Woman with Cigarette Hair

About the Photographer

Gentieu, Penny

American, b. 1954

Penny Gentieu is a New York based photographer who, for the past 12 years, has specialized in photographing babies and children. She is best known for her stock images of infants, which have been featured on the covers of over 200 magazine covers, including 16 Time and Newsweek covers. She is also a part of a family of artists, beginning with her great-grandfather, a Civil War photographer. Gentieu uses this family history to highlight the relationship between memory and experience, particularly in how a visual language can traverse generations. Comparing her black-and-white snapshots with the works of her family, she portrays how genetic ties can carry a visual trace.