The Afghan Girl

For collectors who might be interested, you can currently purchase a signed inkjet print of the famous Afghan Girl picture from the New York Times Store.

Steve McCurry's picture of Sharbat Gula originally appeared on the cover of National Geographic. A minor sensation was created, along with a television documentary, when Gula was found again after nearly twenty years and she graced the cover of National Geographic for a second time. (Fittingly, her identity was positively confirmed by using biometric matching on the irises of her eyes.) She is the inspiration for the National Geographic Society's Afghan Girls Fund, a charitable organization devoted to furthering the education of Afghan women.

The picture has continued to increase in fame and stature—National Geographic has called it the most recognized picture in the magazine's history—and it has become one of the iconic images of the era. If you can't quite afford the original, I've mentioned before that the best reproduction I've seen (suitable for framing, if you can abide bibliocide) can be found in Looking East.

Posted by: MIKE JOHNSTON