Annie Leibovitz: Women

The career of photographer Leibovitz (Wonderland) is celebrated with this dazzling collection of portraits she took of women in the 20th and 21st century. The book contains two volumes; the first was originally published in 1999 with an introduction from Susan Sontag, and features shots of big names like Natalie Portman, Gloria Steinem, and Eudora Welty alongside a host of ordinary women. It’s also preoccupied with contrast—see the brilliant, full-color photos of Las Vegas showgirls decked out in rhinestones alongside soft black-and-white shots of the same subjects in modest attire—and with overtly confronting stereotypes (a woman in army fatigues with a gun across her lap, a female rabbinical student wearing a tallit). The second book—introduced by Gloria Steinem and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie—features photos taken from 1993 to the present and seems less concerned with resolving dichotomies than allowing the women to stand on their own; Michelle Obama poses in a crop top and jeans, while photojournalist Lynsey Addario reclines on a sofa. Despite a few minor drawbacks—the brief captions provide only subject names and location, leaving out technical details and dates—both volumes reflect Leibovitz’s gift of revealing unexpected sides of her subjects. Taken together, the two halves of this work illuminate how women’s roles and opportunities have evolved across time—and the ways they’ve stayed the same. Leibovitz fans will be eager to add this to their bookshelves. (Nov.)