New York, 8 April 2026 - Phillips has announced the upcoming Dropshop release of Ruth Orkin's American Girl in Italy: 75th-Anniversary Box Set Collection, a set of twelve carefully selected photographs produced in collaboration with the Ruth Orkin Photo Archive. The collection centers on the seminal series the American photographer shot in Florence in August 1951, and it expands the understanding of one of the most recognized images of the twentieth century by including its previously unprinted first frame. Produced in a limited edition of 75 and priced at $12,000, the box set will be available exclusively from 28 April through 19 May on dropshop.phillips.com.
Each set is printed in a new size, 14 x 18 in., exclusive to this anniversary edition and not issued separately, and arrives with a certificate of authenticity signed by Mary Engel, the photographer's daughter and director of the Ruth Orkin Photo Archive. The first ten purchasers will also receive the accompanying catalogue, The Making of a Classic, signed by Ninalee 'Jinx' Allen, the subject of the series. Beyond the title image, the collection gathers ten further photographs, among them the classics Couple in MG, Jinx in Goggles, and Jinx in Beads, which together capture the creative magic between photographer and subject and broaden the view of Orkin's singular talent.
What is in the box set
The edition is anchored by the famous photograph of a young woman striding through a gauntlet of staring men outside the Cafe Gilli, an image that originated in a series titled Don't Be Afraid to Travel Alone and debuted in Cosmopolitan in 1952. Presenting both the known picture and its unprinted variation allows the work to be experienced more nearly as Orkin first conceived it. Sarah Krueger, Phillips' Head of Photographs, New York, said, "Ruth Orkin's American Girl in Italy is one of the most iconic images of the Post-War period, an enduring exploration of independence, movement, and women navigating the world on their own terms. We are honored to partner with the Ruth Orkin Photo Archive on this Drop, which offers collectors a fantastic opportunity to acquire this brand-new-to-market box set. Presenting both known and unknown images together allows the work to be experienced in a way that closely reflects Orkin's original vision, elevating it beyond any single image."
Mary Engel, Director of the Ruth Orkin Photo Archive, added, "It is a distinct privilege to offer this collection in partnership with Phillips. The Archive has carefully curated these photographs to celebrate the collaboration between my mother and 'Jinx' and memorialize the place this photo series has in the history of photography, and for reaffirming the power of the medium to elevate our lived experience into fine art."
On view at the International Center of Photography
Recognizing the importance of the release, the International Center of Photography in New York will exhibit the complete box set in its lobby beginning 7 May and running for six weeks. The exhibition is open to the public, and visitors are invited to view the full set of prints at 84 Ludlow Street.
About Ruth Orkin
Ruth Orkin received her first camera, a 39-cent Univex, at the age of ten and never really put one down. At seventeen she made her way from Los Angeles to New York City and bicycled over 2,000 miles through five major cities to see the 1939 World's Fair, taking photographs along the way, and she moved to New York in 1943. In 1951, LIFE magazine sent her to Israel with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, after which she traveled to Florence and met the fellow American art student Nina Lee Craig, with whom she made the celebrated series. Back in New York she married the photographer and filmmaker Morris Engel, and together they produced the feature film Little Fugitive, which won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and earned an Academy Award nomination in 1953. In later years she photographed the world from the window of her Central Park apartment, the subject of two acclaimed books, A World Through My Window (1978) and More Pictures From My Window (1983). Ruth Orkin died on January 16, 1985, in her New York apartment, surrounded by her life's work.
The Drop arrives as Phillips marks its 230th anniversary in 2026. Founded in London in 1796 by the auctioneer Harry Phillips, the house has long offered a forward-looking approach to sales and collecting, and through Dropshop, Curated by Phillips, it continues to pioneer new modes of collecting, offering exclusive releases of primary-market art and objects on its digital platform. In an industry first, creators receive a resale royalty commission on any work bought through Dropshop that is subsequently re-offered at Phillips.
(Press Release)
