‘Afghan Girl’ Escapes Taliban, Evacuated to Italy
Sharbat Gula, the Afghan woman made famous by photographer Steve McCurry's iconic Afghan Girl photo, has escaped the Taliban in Afghanistan and has been evacuated to Italy.
Steve McCurry Reveals Iconic ‘Afghan Girl’ Portrait Was Almost Passed Over by Editor
Update on 12/16/21: This video embed has been removed by its owner. You can still watch it here.
It might be hard to believe in retrospect, but it turns out that Steve McCurry's most famous photograph, the iconic 'Afghan Girl,' was almost passed over for the cover of National Geographic in 1985.
Afghan Mona Lisa: The Story of the Girl Whose Eyes Captivated the World
In 1984, photographer Steve McCurry shot a portrait titled "Afghan Girl" that would become the defining image of his career and one of the most famous National Geographic covers ever published. In 2002, McCurry was able to locate the subject, Sharbat Gula, and learn her story.