de Beauvoir, Simone (1908-1986)
Photographic Portrait.

ca. 1939.

Gelatin silver print (small spot near outer edge, residual stub from previous mount to verso); 7 x 4 7/8 in.

Possibly taken at the home of her anonymous friend "Mme Morel," this portrait captures de Beauvoir when she was teaching at lycées in France, ten years after first meeting Jean-Paul Sartre. In 1943, de Beauvoir was suspended from her teaching position, accused of seducing 17-year-old student, Natalie Sorokine. The alleged seduction is said to have occurred in 1939, though de Beauvoir refers to Sorokine as a platonic friend in the second installment of her 1960 autobiography, La Force de l'Âge. This image is featured on the cover of the 1986 Gallimard Folio edition of the book, and a copy is held in Sylvie Le Bon de Beauvoir's collection.

Condition
For inquiries about condition, please contact:
Devon Eastland, Senior Specialist: deastland@swanngalleries.com
Grace Meschery-McCormack, Cataloguer: gmccormack@swanngalleries.com