It Seems Like Yesterday

She didn’t even know I was there... 

Gigi and I were on holiday in Antigua in 1976 with our family and were out on a friend’s catamaran when the legendary Greta Garbo appeared on the beach, put on a swimming cap, and went into the water, practically in front of us. 

At the time I was photographing our daughter, Wendy, when Garbo swam out and came close to our boat. I very casually moved the camera slightly up and to the right while keeping my finger on the automatic shutter. Garbo didn’t even know I was there. 

Swimming nearby was her niece who often traveled with her. When they emerged from the water, Garbo took off her bathing suit right there on the beach, put on her terrycloth robe, and walked to their nearby cabin. 

I didn’t chase her up the beach or interrupt
her holiday, but I did photograph the woman I had heard my parents call the most elusive and beautiful women in the world. How could I not take a photograph?

Greta Garbo contact sheet, photographed by Harry Benson in Antigua, 1976.