In 1925, Abbott started her career as a photographer. In Paris, she took photographs of some of the most renowned writers and artists of the day, including Marie Laurencin, Jean Cocteau, Peggy Guggenheim, and James Joyce. Her images were displayed and received praise in less than a year. In Paris Portraits 1925–30, Abbott presents the straightforward, unvarnished results of her first photographic project, illuminating the idea that guided all of her subsequent creations.