On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
[Beech Trunk]
John Moran American, born England
Not on view
Leaning against the trunk of a beech tree, the man in this picture wields a hidden instrument in the service of a mysterious task. Is he collecting botanical samples or carving a message into the bark? Remnants of past inscriptions on the trunk—visible through magnification—suggest the latter. In either case, it is clear that John Moran, who believed in photography’s ability to conjure delight in the contemplation of nature, saw the central figure as a surrogate: someone who left his mark on nature just as Moran left nature’s mark embedded in the surface of his light-sensitive paper.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
![[Beech Trunk], John Moran (American (born England), Bolton, Lancashire 1821–1903 Pennsylvania), Albumen silver print](/Rodan/dist/svg/rolling-0.9s-30px.svg)
