Louis Aragon

« Give me your hands for worry
Give me your hands that I have dreamed of so much
That I have dreamed of so much in my solitude
Give me your hands that I may be saved

When I take them in my own trap
Of palm and fear of haste and emotion
When I take them like snow water
That leaks from everywhere in my hands

Will you ever know what goes through me
That upsets me and invades me
Will you ever know what pierces me
What I betrayed when I shuddered

What the deep language says thus
This mute speech of animal senses
Without mouth and without eyes mirror without image
This shudder of love that has no words

Will you ever know what the fingers think
Of a prey held between them for a moment
Will you ever know what their silence
A flash will have known of the unknown

Give me your hands that my heart forms there
The world is silent there at least for a moment
Give me your hands that my soul sleeps there
May my soul sleep there eternally. » (Louis Aragon)

Céline Laguarde

Céline Laguarde. Girl on beach with crabs 1909

Adolphe Braun

Adolphe Braun. Still life with flowers 1857

Adolphe Braun. Still life with flowers 1857

Eva Besnyo

Eva Besnyo. The actress Narda Vleming 1937 with a veil

Jean-Jacques Henner

Jean-Jacques Henner. Magdalena grieving 1885

Eva Besnyo

Eva Besnyo. Loeki 1940

Eva Besnyo

Eva Besnyo. Untitled 1932

Eva Besnyo

Eva Besnyo. Loeki 1940

Eva Besnyo

Eva Besnyo. The dancer Chaja Goldstein 1933

Eva Besnyo

Peter Weller. Eva Besnyo 1931

Eva Besnyo

Eva Besnyo. Paul Beck’s girlfriend 1932

Eva Besnyo

Eva Besnyo. The actress Narda Vleming 1937

Eva Besnyo. The actress Narda Vleming 1937

Eva Besnyo

Eva Besnyo. The actress Narda Vleming 1937

Eva Besnyo. The actress Narda Vleming 1937

Eva Besnyo. The actress Narda Vleming 1937

György Kepes 

György Kepes. Portrait of a woman 1938

Man Ray

Man Ray. Kiki de Montparnasse 1926

Man Ray. Kiki de Montparnasse 1926

Frantisek Vobecky

Frantisek Vobecky. Dance of love 1935-1938

Frantisek Vobecky

Frantisek Vobecky. The errant equestrienne 1936

Frantisek Vobecky

Frantisek Vobecky. Preludium 1936

Frantisek Vobecky

Frantisek Vobecky. Orchidea 1933

Marcel Meys

Marcel Meys. Sleeping cat 1900s. Autochrome

Marcel Meys

Marcel Meys. Woman at a table 1908. Autochrome

Nell Dorr

Nell Dorr. Double exposure of the actress Lillian Gish in a field 1950s

Unknown photographer

Unknown photographer. Portrait of a woman smoking a cigarette 1890

Unknown photographer

Unknown photographer. Reclining woman 1860

Jacques de Lalaing

Jacques de Lalaing. Study of a crouching woman 1903

Jacques de Lalaing

Jacques de Lalaing. Study of a crouching woman 1903

Jacques de Lalaing. Study of a crouching woman 1903

Jacques de Lalaing. Study of a crouching woman 1903

Jacques de Lalaing

Jacques de Lalaing. Back view of a crouching woman 1900

Jacques de Lalaing

Jacques de Lalaing. Study of a reclining woman on a tiger carpet 1900

Jacques de Lalaing

Jacques de Lalaing. Study of a standing nude woman 1900

Jacques de Lalaing. Study of a standing nude woman 1900

Jacques de Lalaing

Jacques de Lalaing. Nude study 1900

Jacques de Lalaing. Nude study 1900

Jacques de Lalaing

Jacques de Lalaing. Study of a draped woman before 1914

Jacques de Lalaing. Study of a draped woman before 1914

Rudolf Dührkoop

Rudolf Dührkoop. The dancer Clotilde von Derp 1912

Émile-Auguste Chartier (known as Alain)

“Any power without control drives you crazy.” (Émile-Auguste Chartier known as Alain)

Unknown photographer

Unknown photographer. Reclining woman 1880-1890

Unknown photographer. Reclining woman 1880-1890

Thomas Eakins

Thomas Eakins. Nude study 1886-1892

Thomas Eakins

Thomas Eakins. Back view of a woman 1889

Thomas Eakins

Thomas Eakins. Two students in a greek costume 1893

La Jana

The actress and dancer La Jana 1930

Atelier Manassé

Atelier Manassé. The actress and dancer La Jana 1930

Atelier Manassé

Atelier Manassé. The actress and dancer La Jana 1930

La Jana

The actress and dancer La Jana 1930

Unknown photographer

Unknown photographer. Dancer in oriental costume performing an Egyptian dance 1900s

La Jana

The dancer and actress La Jana. German postcard by Ross Verlag 1937

Egon Schiele

Egon Schiele. Wally Neuzil 1912

Fitz W. Guerin

Fitz W. Guerin. Woman with drapery 1903

Fitz W. Guerin. Woman with drapery 1903

Fitz W. Guerin

Fitz W. Guerin. Reclining woman holding a cigarette 1902

Fitz W. Guerin

Fitz W. Guerin. Profil view of a woman 1901

Alphonse Marie Mucha

Alphonse Marie Mucha. Study for Decorative documents 1901

Fitz W. Guerin

Fitz W. Guerin. Profil view of a woman 1902

Fitz W. Guerin

Fitz W. Guerin. Woman’s head framed by hair 1902

Fitz W. Guerin

Fitz W. Guerin. Woman holding a cigarette and a glass 1902

Fitz W. Guerin

Fitz W. Guerin. Woman with vine leaves on head 1902

Arnold Genthe

Arnold Genthe. The actress Ann Murdock with Buzzer the cat 1914

Arnold Genthe

Arnold Genthe. Miss Cumner with Buzzer the cat 1910

Arnold Genthe

Arnold Genthe. Blanche Gervais with Buzzer the cat 1910s

Arnold Genthe

Arnold Genthe. One of the Dolly sisters with Buzzer the cat 1910s

Arnold Genthe

Arnold Genthe. Gertrude Warren with Buzzer the cat 1910s

Arnold Genthe

Arnold Genthe. Jocelyne Stebbins (Mrs Fletcher) with Buzzer the cat 1910s

Rémy Duval

Rémy Duval. From the book 28 études de nus 1936

Rémy Duval

Rémy Duval. Assia 1935

Rémy Duval

Rémy Duval. Assia 1935

Rémy Duval. Assia 1935

Rémy Duval

Rémy Duval. Standing nude woman 1933

Rémy Duval. Standing nude woman 1933

Rémy Duval

Rémy Duval. The rest 1935

Rémy Duval

Rémy Duval. Standing nude 1935

Rémy Duval

Rémy Duval. Le vase de cristal 1935

Rémy Duval

Rémy Duval. Untitled 1935

Rémy Duval

Rémy Duval. Cely en Bière, France 1932

Colette

The writer Colette (Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette) in 1901

Man Ray

Man Ray. Kiki de Montparnasse 1924

Hans Bellmer

Hans Bellmer. Common sense 1961

George Hurrell

George Hurrell. The actress Lottice Howell in Gay Madrid 1930

Franz Xaver Setzer

Franz Xaver Setzer. The dancer and actress Lena Amsel 1918

Lena Amsel

The dancer and actress Lena Amsel in The adventure 1922

Franz Xaver Setzer

Franz Xaver Setzer. The dancer and actress Lena Amsel 1922

Franz Xaver Setzer

Franz Xaver Setzer. The dancer and actress Lena Amsel 1922

Franz Xaver Setzer

Franz Xaver Setzer. The dancer and actress Lena Amsel 1927

Atelier Eberth

Atelier Eberth. The dancer and actress Lena Amsel 1918

Anonymous photographer

Anonymous photographer. The dancer and actress Lena Amsel 1929

Franz Xaver Setzer

Franz Xaver Setzer. The dancer and actress Lena Amsel 1927

Man Ray

Man Ray. The dancer Lena Amsel 1928

Man Ray. The dancer Lena Amsel 1928

Man Ray

Man Ray. The dancer Lena Amsel 1928

Man Ray. The dancer Lena Amsel 1928

Man Ray

Man Ray. The dancer Lena Amsel 1928

Man Ray. The dancer Lena Amsel 1928

Atelier Eberth

Atelier Eberth. The dancer and actress Lena Amsel 1917

Aenne Heise

Aenne Heise. The dancer Ellen Petz 1920–1929

Atelier Eberth

Atelier Eberth. The dancer Ingo dressed as a woman 1921

Kathleen Key

The actress Kathleen Key 1934

Atelier Eberth

Atelier Eberth. Students of the Steffi Nossen dance school 1929

Atelier Eberth

Atelier Eberth. The actress Manja Tzatschewa 1921

Louise Dahl-Wolfe

Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Midnight bath 1939

Nicola Samori

Nicola Samori. Untitled 2016

Atelier Eberth

Atelier Eberth. The dancer Niddy Impekoven as a doll 1920s

Maurice Tabard

Maurice Tabard. Impulse for Harper’s Bazaar 1946

Louise Dahl-Wolfe

Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Sunbathing in desert 1948

Louise Dahl-Wolfe

Louise Dahl-Wolfe. Twins at beach 1952

Louise Dahl-Wolfe

Louise Dahl-Wolfe. The actress Lauren Bacall in the bathroom 1943

Maurice Tabard

Maurice Tabard. Sunbathing

Maurice Tabard

Maurice Tabard. Dancer

Herbert List

Herbert List. Grapes and bowl 1933

Virginia Woolf

« The eyes of others are our prisons; their thoughts are our cages. » (Virginia Woolf)

Herbert List

Herbert List. The optician’s display 1929