A Madonna Transparency And A Mystery

I recently added this mounted 35mm color transparency slide to my collection. There are no markings on the mount, but it was identified as Madonna. That sent me researching the image, and I found it attributed to Steven Meisel from the photography for Madonna’s 1992 book SEX.

Checking my copy of SEX, I found this exact photograph reproduced as a 10 × 14-inch full-page image. That answered one question, but raised another. What exactly is this transparency?

Published in 1992, SEX was photographed by Steven Meisel and released at the same time as Madonna’s Erotica album. The spiral-bound aluminum book was sold in a silver Mylar package and included the exclusive CD single Erotic. Despite a retail price of nearly $50 at the time, it sold more than 150,000 copies on its first day and approximately 1.5 million copies worldwide, making it the fastest and best-selling coffee table book ever published. Its explicit photographs generated worldwide controversy and remain one of the defining moments in modern photographic publishing.

Many of the exterior photographs for the project were made in Miami, and this image, with its stucco wall, palm trees, and bright Florida light, appears to be from one of those sessions.

The transparency itself remains the mystery. With no markings on the mount, there is no way to know whether it is an original production transparency, a duplicate prepared for publication, or something created later. Finding the exact photograph in the book answered one question, but the transparency itself continues to raise many more. I’ll continue researching its history and provenance, and if I learn more, I’ll be sure to share it.

You can see more of my photography, projects, motion, and my Blog on my website at https://www.secondfocus.com