Edward Steichen’s second wife, Dana, had always loved music and played the piano herself. Having developed a passion for Beethoven, she read every biography, studied his works dutifully, and decided to write a book about the composer. Shortly after finishing the manuscript for the book, Dana died of leukaemia. Dorothea Lange was a very influential documentary photographer and photojournalist who had been friends with Edward Steichen for decades when she photographed his wife working on her book at the Steichens’ house in Connecticut.