Diane

Arbus, Diane, 1923-71, American photographer, b. New York City. For nearly 20 years Arbus operated a successful fashion photography studio with her husband. She studied with Lisette Model and began, in the late 1950s, to make the intimate and powerful visual record of life on the freakish margins of society, for which she became renowned. Her empathetic acceptance of what she saw set her work apart and gave her access to the usually unapproachable: transvestites, dwarves, prostitutes, nudists, and the everyday ugly. She died a suicide at 48. One of the most acclaimed and influential American photographers of the latter 20th cent., Arbus was the sister of the poet Howard Nemerov.

orig. Diane Nemerov

(born March 14, 1923, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died July 26, 1971, New York City) U.S. photographer. The sister of the poet and critic Howard Nemerov, she worked as a fashion photographer in the 1950s. From about 1955 to 1957 she studied with documentary photographer Lisette Model. She published her first photo-essay, for Esquire, in 1960. In the 1960s she began to explore the subjects that would occupy her for much of her career: individuals living on the outskirts of society and “normalcy,” such as nudists, transvestites, dwarfs, and the mentally or physically handicapped. Her own evident intimacy with the subjects of her photos resulted in images that engage the sympathy and collusion of the viewer and elicit a strong response. During this period she mastered her technique of using a square format and flash lighting, which gives her work a sense of theatricality and surrealism. In 1971 Arbus committed suicide.

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orig. Diane Nemerov

(born March 14, 1923, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died July 26, 1971, New York City) U.S. photographer. The sister of the poet and critic Howard Nemerov, she worked as a fashion photographer in the 1950s. From about 1955 to 1957 she studied with documentary photographer Lisette Model. She published her first photo-essay, for Esquire, in 1960. In the 1960s she began to explore the subjects that would occupy her for much of her career: individuals living on the outskirts of society and “normalcy,” such as nudists, transvestites, dwarfs, and the mentally or physically handicapped. Her own evident intimacy with the subjects of her photos resulted in images that engage the sympathy and collusion of the viewer and elicit a strong response. During this period she mastered her technique of using a square format and flash lighting, which gives her work a sense of theatricality and surrealism. In 1971 Arbus committed suicide.

Learn more about Arbus, Diane with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Diane-Louise Jordan (born 27 February 1960) is a British television presenter. She was the first black presenter on the long-running children's television programme Blue Peter, which she hosted from 25 January 1990 until 26 February 1996, making her its fourth longest-serving female presenter (after Konnie Huq, Valerie Singleton and Lesley Judd).

Jordan is a trained actress, with a degree in Theatre Arts. She was offered a role in the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street, but turned it down for her job on Blue Peter.

Jordan is a Christian, and can currently be seen presenting BBC1's religious programme, Songs of Praise. She has also done a lot of work for charity, which includes being a vice-president of National Children's Home.

On 20 July 2007 she married violinist Giles Broadbent at the chapel of Rugby School (Warwickshire). In 2008 she became a confidence coach to ex Death Row convict Kenny Richey, helping him to adjust to life after being released.

Jordan is a keen skier who was, unfortunately, taken off the slopes by helicopter in Verbier after sustaining leg injuries during a January 2008 vacation.

External links

• Diane-Louise Jordan at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Diane in Xt3 Christian Magazine