A young man with straight posture and a broad smile stands wearing a sheath with several knives and holding an animal corpse in his arms. He is a slaughterhouse worker, and judging from his body language, he takes immense pride in his work. The sentiment exhibited in this photograph is not unique in Irving Penn’s Small Trade series. In fact, out of the 252 images acquired by the Getty Museum, many are representative of a life of simple work and great pride. This book, published in correlation with Penn’s exhibition at the Getty, is a magnificent human (as well as anthropological) look at individual trades, most of which no longer exist.

Initially, these images were intended for the pages of Vogue, yet the work quickly took on a life of its own, becoming far more intensive and ultimately appropriate for the medium of a book. Aware of the effects of industrialization on the individuals represented in Small Trades, Penn worked extensively to capture what he saw as fading professions. Eventually creating his largest body of work, Penn worked in Paris, London, and New York all the while using his signature style of natural light and a simple backdrop. The individuals are always presented as is, adorned in the clothes and tools of their trade. Rarely does there seem to be a missed connection between the subject and the photographer.





Small Trades is an exquisite representation of Penn as studio photographer and anthropologist. The images are simple, yet the individuals in front of Penn’s camera tell a fascinating story. This hefty volume contains an isolated and in-depth look at a world that has since disappeared. It also contains one of Penn’s most important bodies of work. —Antone Dolezal