Image gallery for: The museum without walls le musée imaginaire imogen cunningham american 1883 1976 magnolia blossom 1925 gelatin silver print 22 2 x 27 9 cm norton simon museum pasadena ca justly noted as one of imogen cunningham’s most famous plant photographs magnolia blossom embodies the idea of “nature as art ” the radiant flower is presented close up cropped and tilted forward like a presentation piece a soft light suffuses the blossom and gently caresses each petal yielding information about its surfaces and textures it is impossible to imagine what could be added or subtracted from this paragon of natural beauty handsomely crafted photographs like this essentially studies in pure design by cunningham were included in “film und foto ” the influential exhibition mounted in stuttgart in 1929 that presented avant garde photography heralding a new era for the medium from the museum catalog