Still A Photo Icon After All These Years

Say what you will about Madonna, she knows more about the power of still images than any other modern celebrity I can think of. The only other star I can think of who took as much care in etching a photographic identity was Marlene Dietrich. In Madonna's case, of course, the genius lay in how many different identities she could assume. This image is from the fabulous layout in the new Vanity Fair by Steven Meisel, who has always been best at shooting this icon. By fabulous, I mean it's a real page turner, which you can literally do by going here. The website also lets you browse the many, many stories it has run about Madonna over the years.--David Schonauer