Stripped to the waist, a masked Margaret Neiman hovers behind author Henry Miller, whose calm demeanor and shirt, suspenders, and tie provide an almost humorous contrast to his animated muse. Like Man Ray, Miller arrived in Los Angeles in 1940, where he took up residence with Neiman and her husband Gilbert, an artist and writer who introduced Man Ray and Miller. In printing the negative for this image, Man Ray rippled the photographic paper to distort the top of the composition.