"1973 - bad photo of Mike"
December 1973
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
chromogenic print
Dimensions
image: 7.8 × 6.7 cm (3 1/16 × 2 5/8 in.) sheet: 8.8 × 8.8 cm (3 7/16 × 3 7/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mary and Dan Solomon
Accession Number
2018.177.241
Art Historical Context
"1973 - bad photo of Mike" is a candid chromogenic print from December 1973, created by an anonymous American photographer of the 20th century. Captured in a diminutive 7.8 × 6.7 cm image size—fitting easily in the palm of your hand—this snapshot embodies the intimate, everyday aesthetic of mid-century amateur photography. Donated to the National Gallery of Art by Mary and Dan Solomon, it resides in the CPH department, highlighting how personal moments find their way into institutional collections. The medium, chromogenic print, was a revolutionary color process in the 1970s, using light-sens...
About the Artist
American 20th Century
"American 20th Century" is the designation used by major institutions such as the National Gallery of Art (NGA) for anonymous and unidentified artists active in the United States during the twentieth century. The artist's personal identity, early life, and training remain undocumented, reflecting the challenges of attribution for unattributed works from this era. No specific teachers, art schools,...