Lisette Model: A Quiet Observer of Urban Life Lisette Model (1901-1983) remains an enigmatic figure in 20th-century photography, a testament to the enduring power of understated observation and profound humanism. Born Elise Stern in Vienna, Austria-Hungary—a city steeped in musical tradition thanks to Arnold Schönberg’s influence on her formative years—Model's life unfolded with remarkable complexity, marked by personal trauma and intellectual curiosity. Her early childhood was shadowed by disturbing experiences of sexual abuse perpetrated by her father, a detail that has fueled ongoing spec…