The Vienna-born photographer Lisette Model immigrated to New York in the 1930s and became a highly respected photographer and influential photography teacher. Model's fascination with the excitement and bustle of American urban life is reflected in her photographs of people on New York streets, in restaurants, bars, at the circus, and so on. One of the themes that she repeatedly explored was reflections in shop windows, which she appreciated for their naturally surreal photomontage-like effect. In this image, taken in the 1960s, the photographer portrays with characteristic wit a mannequin's head with a drawn mermaid's body overlaid across the reflection of city buildings.

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