Mrs. Simpson with Chinese Figure

In 1935 Mrs. Simpson (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, 1896–1986) was an American socialite known for her charm and irreverence, and romantically linked with Edward, the Prince of Wales (1894–1972), a scandalous relationship due to her being married. In the following year Edward, then King Edward VIII, would abdicate in order to marry her. When the photo was taken, she was a figure of popular fascination, at the height of society and fashion.

Man Ray’s photo is an image of stark elegance and careful geometry. Mrs. Simpson’s pale face is framed by a chic wave hairstyle, set off by the darkness of the background and her fashionable Chinese cheongsam gown. She gazes at us from the apex of a triangle, as she leans in to match the angle of a Chinese statue of a Buddhist Heavenly King. The Chinese elements were stylish exotica of the period, but also perhaps a nod to a decade earlier, when she spent a year in Warlord-era China. A final subtle note is created by the embroidered hem of the gown’s front flap, a line pointing directly to the wedding ring that represented the source of her controversy.