Sherman gained broad critical acclaim for this work in her famous early series "Untitled Film Stills," taking photographs of herself dressed as invented personages embodying female clichés, such as ‘the bored housewife’, ‘the sexy librarian’, and ‘the ambitious career girl’. Here we see a very early work by the artist in a simplified portrait of a female type, the stereotype of a classic secretary.

Cindy Sherman (American, b.1954) is a photographer who incorporates aspects of feminism, performance art, cultural criticism, and body and identity politics into her provocative work. Sherman abandoned painting for photography while attending the State University of New York at Buffalo, and in 1976 moved to New York to pursue a career as a photographer. She is the recipient of the MacArthur Award and Hasselblad Award for Photography, among other honors. Sherman lives and works in New York.