Irving Penn (1917–2009), one of the 20th century’s most influential photographers, is renowned for his fashion, portrait, and still-life work, much of it published in Vogue. During the 1960s and 1970s, he pursued several ethnographic projects in Africa, extending his signature minimalist style to document indigenous cultures. He used portable tent studios to create a controlled “visual nowhere,” transforming remote settings into intimate, sculptural portraits that emphasized form while avoiding exoticism or stereotype. Penn’s approach remained deeply photographic, treating each person as a sculptural presence, using light and posture to reveal character and universality. These projects bridged his commercial and artistic worlds, influencing later fashion series and earning inclusion in major retrospectives.