This impressive, oversized print of Cuzco Children, which predates the edition for the image, was given by Irving Penn to Nancy Ann Reals Perl Benderoth (1933-2018) who worked as a stylist for the photographer. Benderoth, a painter and designer, attended Cooper Union and the Art Student League and led a multifaceted creative career spanning the photographic, advertising, theatre, and film industries. During the 1950s, Benderoth married the playwright and producer Arnold Perl after the pair met while working on a stage production of Perl’s Sholem Aleicheim. The Perls spent their time between East Hampton and Manhattan. At the time of Mr. Perl's death in 1971, he had been collaborating with James Baldwin on the documentary, Malcolm X. She took over the project as a producer, working with editor Mick Benderoth, and in 1972 the film was nominated for an Academy Award. Years later, in 1990, Ms. Perl and Mr. Benderoth wed after forming a production company.
