Léon Blum (French, 1872 - 1950) was a French politician and writer. He initially came to prominence as a literary critic before entering politics in the French Socialist Party. In 1921, he became the leader of the Socialists, and as head of the Popular Front government from 1936 to 1937, he was the first representative of the Socialist Party and first Jewish man to be premier of France. Blum introduced reforms such as a 40-hour work week and the Bank of France. Man Ray photographed Blum on several occasions and they appeared to have shared some level of friendship, with images of Blum, Man Ray, and Paul and Nusch Éluard socializing and vacationing together peppered throughout the artist’s oeuvre of the 1920s and 1930s.