Ina Alcova, Orval Hixon, 1921

Description: Ina Alcova was a Vaudeville ballet dancer during the 1910s and 1920s, known as The Flying Alcova. In this portrait, Hixon initially photographed Alcova lying in position on a table to create the illusion of motion. He then dissolved the image of the table from his 11 x 14 inch glass negative and painted the background with lampblack. He then etched and brushed the painted portions of the negative so that it appears that Alcova is flying out of the darkness and into the sunlight in a stormy landscape.