Untitled (Subway Portrait, New York)
<p>As it was illegal at the time to take pictures on the New York City subway, Walker Evans had to act stealthily while making this portrait. He hid a small 35mm Contax camera in his coat, the lens peeking out between the buttons, and snapped pictures of unsuspecting commuters. “My idea of what a portrait ought to be,” Evans wrote, was “anonymous and documentary and a straightforward picture of mankind.” Devoid of journalistic purpose or romantic sentimentality, Evans‘s subway portraits present a candid view of humanity within the modern urban environment.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1938
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 13.9 × 20.8 cm (5 1/2 × 8 1/4 in.); Paper: 19.9 × 25 cm (7 7/8 × 9 7/8 in.); Mount: 45.6 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14 1/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Walker Evans
Artist
Photography
Walker Evans (1903-1975) was an American photographer and photojournalist, best known for his work documenting the effects of the Great Depression through his precise, candid portrayals of everyday life. His most famous project, conducted for the Farm Security Administration (FSA), captured the faces and living conditions of struggling farmers and their families, providing an indelible record of the era. Evans's style, characterized by its clarity, detail, and lack of embellishment, influenced generations of photographers and artists. His work goes beyond mere documentation to reveal the beauty in the ordinary, making him a pivotal figure in the history of photography. Evans's photographs have been exhibited globally and remain influential in both art and social documentary contexts.
Full artist profile →More
More by Walker Evans
Going Out of Business IV
1974 · Internal dye diffusion transfer print
Untitled
1974 · Color instant print (Polaroid)
West Street, Dead End (Sign Detail)
1973 · Instant color print
Untitled, London
1973 · Chromogenic print
Guthrie, Kentucky, New Year's Day
1970 · Gelatin silver print, printed c. 1970 by James Dow
Jack Heliker's Bedroom Wall, Cranberry Island, Maine
1969 · Gelatin silver print
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Walker Evans
- Year
- 1938
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image: 13.9 × 20.8 cm (5 1/2 × 8 1/4 in.); Paper: 19.9 × 25 cm (7 7/8 × 9 7/8 in.); Mount: 45.6 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14 1/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1938-103192
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified