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Black Eye

1991 (printed 1995)
(American, 1951-)
America, 20th century
gelatin silver print
Image: 46.8 x 58.5 cm (18 7/16 x 23 1/16 in.); Paper: 50.1 x 60.7 cm (19 3/4 x 23 7/8 in.); Matted: 76.2 x 81.3 cm (30 x 32 in.)
Gift of Friends of Photography 1995.198
© 1991 Sally Mann
Impression: 8
Location: not on view
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

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Description

In 1984, Sally Mann began photographing her three children—Jesse, Virginia and Emmett—at their summer house near Lexington, Virginia. The images show the children wearing bathing suits, light summer clothes, or no clothes at all, and their self-assured posturing is spellbinding. Mann's often controversial photographs depict the fascinating narratives that expose parental fears and the vulnerability and defiance of children. In Black Eye, she focused on Virginia's upper torso and face, the child's bruised eye (resulting from a mishap with a hammock) evident as she dozes in a sheltering wing chair. Reminiscent of Victorian postmortem images, the sitter's serene face gently bathed in a soft light, her folded hands, and her oddly arranged hair make it difficult to determine whether the child is actually dead or alive.
Black Eye

Black Eye

1991 (printed 1995)

Sally Mann

(American, 1951-)
America, 20th century

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