Ward Brian (), ‘Bowie as sphinx’, 1971, here re-used als illustration by Pictorial Press Retna for: Gilbert, Pat, ‘Best of Bowie: High Anxiety’ in: Mojo. P.33.

‘The Chameleon of Rock, they called him’, a woman memorizes on television, to continue: ‘but that is false. A chameleon fades with its background while David Bowie stood out.
Right she is. Would ‘the Sphinx’be a better title? The photo from 1971 tells it all. Brian Wardt shot it when experimenting for Hunky Dory’s sleeve image, Ziggy Stardust was not yet manifested. Jewelry and clothing served as props to recall ancient Egypt, and beside the pose of Osiris. hand crossed over the chest, this enigmatic pose recalled the sphinx.

The pose is more than just a reference to the pharaohs: it was a female’s prerogative.  In cabaret, ballet and later early movies, dancers and actresses used the pose. Flirting with male and female iconography, the photo presents an androgynous figure. It was not a success: the photo was not used and neither was the concept further explored.

For more results from this egyptianesque photo session, click here

Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie.  Reynolds & Hearn, 2006, p.237