Studying the self

Unlike selfies, self-portraits are celebrated as works of art and are rarely mentioned in the same breath, even though both stem from the same basic human impulse

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, when the world was black and white, a reclusive nanny walked the streets of New York and Chicago. There was nothing unusual about her, except that she always carried a camera, a Rolleiflex, with her. A keen observer of the world, she would consistently capture its transient moments on film.

It was a hobby she pursued during her outings with the children in her charge. At times, she would take off on longer excursions, travelling around the world, camera in hand: India, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Yemen, Egypt,