Eleanor and Barbara, Chicago
Harry Callahan
American, 1912–1999
Details
Title
Eleanor and Barbara, Chicago
Artist/Maker
Harry Callahan (American, 1912–1999)
Date
1953, printed later
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Contact the museum for more information
Credit
Purchase with funds from the H. B. and Doris Massey Charitable Trust, Dr. Robert L. and Lucinda W. Bunnen, Collections Council Acquisition Fund, Jackson Fine Art, Powell, Goldstein, Frazer and Murphy, Jane and Clay Jackson, Beverly and John Baker, Roni and Sid Funk, Gloria and Paul Sternberg, and Jeffery L. Wigbels
Accession #
1997.13
Location
Currently not on view
Harry Callahan frequently photographed his wife, Eleanor, and their daughter, Barbara, in inventive ways that opened new creative avenues in his work. He was intrigued by the conventions of the ordinary family snapshot and sought to apply its tropes—familiar subjects centrally positioned within the frame, casually facing the camera—to the formally rigorous demands of his cumbersome 8-x-10-inch camera. Callahan composed this impeccably detailed shot so that his family is surrounded by an unusual amount of dark space. A thin shaft of light dramatically pierces the darkness, illuminating an otherwise banal scene.
Image Copyright
© 2018 The Estate of Harry Callahan