Photographer's Window, Savannah

1936

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Walker Evans worked from 1935 to 1937 as a New Deal photographer for the U.S. government. While traveling primarily in the American South, he frequently focused on vernacular signage as a way to systematically record the changing American scene. Here, an anonymous photographer’s window display in Savannah, Georgia, caught his eye, especially its internal repetition and classic sans serif typography. By documenting the window directly, he was able to portray a slice of Depression-era society in a single exposure.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Photographer's Window, Savannah
Artist: Walker Evans (American, St. Louis, Missouri 1903–1975 New Haven, Connecticut)
Date: 1936
Medium: Gelatin silver print
Dimensions: Sheet: 7 3/16 × 8 11/16 in. (18.3 × 22 cm)
Framed: 18 × 20 × 1 in. (45.7 × 50.8 × 2.5 cm)
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Promised Gift of Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary
Curatorial Department: Photographs