524How
I
t was Diane Arbus’s idea to take pictures of me. She wanted
to photograph a baby, and she had seen me when I was
relatively newly born. She knew my mother and my dad
socially, so she asked if she could come and spend time
at the house, and she ended up coming for about three
weeks, of and on. My mom said that Diane latched onto
me when she frst arrived and became obsessed with
photographing me. There must be a lot of pictures from
those weeks, but I don’t know what’s left of them. This
one was Diane’s favorite, the sleeping baby. There’s also
a second photo, which my mother has, that shows my
brother, Carter, reaching out to kiss me. It’s a very tight shot. There’s a note
with it that says, “Dear Gloria and Wyatt, I know this is controversial, but
I thought you should have it.” I don’t know why it was controversial. It’s
not cute—but Diane’s work isn’t cute. I read one article where someone
said the sleeping baby picture resembled a Roman death mask, which
has always stuck with me. But I don’t fnd it disturbing—and a lot of
her work is disturbing. My mom always had both photographs, original
copies of them, framed and hanging up with Diane’s note. Right now
they’re in her living room, on a wall by the window.
I grew up with the pictures in the house, but when I was 11 or 12,
there was a show of Diane’s work in New York, and they used this
picture on the invitation. So I went to the show, and then I started toread more about her and get interested in her work. I met her daughter
Doon, who actually gave me a copy of the picture, and then I bought
another copy at a gallery. I look at auction catalogues and track it
now and then when it comes up. I know that Elton John had one, and
I think Annie Leibovitz as well. I saw a copy hanging in someone’s
house once, and I didn’t know if I should point it out or not—it was
one of those awkward things. I fnally told them, and they were blown
away that they had no idea. It’s also at the Getty, and for a while I was
getting a lot of e-mails from people saying, “Oh, I just saw you at the
Getty!” I don’t see myself in the picture, but a lot of my friends do.
People say that I have the same mouth still.
I don’t know how this title, A very young baby, came to pass. I’ve read
a story that my mom didn’t want my name printed, but she says that
was not the case at all. She loved the photo and was very proud of it,
and she was more than happy to have my name in the caption.
My two copies aren’t originals; the estate subsequently did a printing
of 75, and I have two from that edition. I was going to get a third and
have it be a triptych, but then I thought, you know, two is probably
fne. One is in the stairwell of my home—I live in an old frehouse in
the Village—and I recently bought a house in Connecticut that I’m
just moving into, and I’m trying to fgure out where to put it. I might
put it in the bedroom, but I don’t know if it’s too creepy for some
people. I’ve always had it hanging up wherever I live. nThe journalist refects on Arbus’s portrait of him as a baby, published 47 years ago in Harper’s Bazaar
ANDERSON COOPER
on DI A NE A R BUS
Photograph by Diane Arbus A very young baby, N.Y.C. 1968© the estAte of DiAne Arbus