fe/male: Claude Cahun

The intimate self-portraits in black and white of Claude Cahun (Lucie Schwob, born 1894 in Nantes – 1954, Jersey) show her in different roles, as dandy, as vampire, as doll or clown – on one hand theatrical stills, on the other hand her general concept of living. Behind these multiple selves the “original” cannot be found any more.

As lesbian and Jewish she rebelled against social and gender roles by taking a male surname and an androgynous outfit, with shaved head or short hair coloured green or pink. By imitating others and creating new images in her self-portraits Claude Cahun freed herself from limitations of the circumstances of her life.


		Claude Cahun The intimate self-portraits in black and white of Claude Cahun (Lucie Schwob, born 1894 in Nantes – 1954, Jersey) show her in different roles, as dandy, as vampire, as doll or clown – on one hand theatrical stills, on the other hand her general concept of living. Behind these multiple selves the “original” cannot be found any more. As lesbian and Jewish she rebelled against social and gender roles by taking a male surname and an androgynous outfit, with shaved head or short hair coloured green or pink. By imitating others and creating new images in her self-portraits Claude Cahun freed herself from limitations of the circumstances of her life.