The Arthur Greenberg Archives: The Debutante Presentation Holiday (Season 1969) NFT
My father, Arthur D. Greenberg was a photographer.
In 1969, he organized a tour that gave young American women the opportunity to make their formal European debut across three balls: The Cygnet's Ball in England, The Nuit De La Rose in Switzerland and the Marienlyst in Denmark.
This is a collection of 40 photos from that tour.
The pictures capture a moment in time for upper class American white women that's made even more striking when juxtaposed with photos of other young women in Woodstock at the same time.
My father is pictured in photo #34. The resemblance between the two of us is uncanny.
Beyond the formality and the privilege these photos exude, I also see a glimpse into my father's life. He must have felt like he was on top of the world as a photographer touring Europe and meeting royalty like Princess Grace.
I wish I could ask him questions about all of this, but like many in these photographs, he's no longer with us.
- Ari Greenberg