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Two ladies at the automat, N.Y.C. 1966

Diane Arbus American

1966

Not on view

Diane Arbus likely encountered the subjects here in the same Horn & Hardart restaurant in New York frequented by the American Surrealist, Joseph Cornell, who had a sweet tooth and appreciated their fruit pies and inexpensive chicory coffee. Arbus had photographed inside the Automat (a coin-operated cafeteria) for some eight years before she met these two women wearing impressive pillbox hats—not identical twins or likely even sisters but perfectly matched, harmonious members of a close-knit community.

Two ladies at the automat, N.Y.C. 1966, Diane Arbus (American, New York 1923–1971 New York), Gelatin silver print — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Two ladies at the automat, N.Y.C. 1966

Artist: Diane Arbus (American, New York 1923–1971 New York)

Date: 1966

Medium: Gelatin silver print

Dimensions: Image: 9 5/8 × 9 1/4 in. (24.4 × 23.5 cm)
Sheet: 14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)
Framed: 21 × 17 in. (53.3 × 43.2 cm)

Classification: Photographs

Credit Line: Promised Gift of Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary

Accession Number: SL.13.2020.1.51

Rights and Reproduction: © The Estate of Diane Arbus

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