Cambridge
1975
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 28.58 × 19.05 cm (11 1/4 × 7 1/2 in.) sheet: 35.56 × 27.94 cm (14 × 11 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Lee Friedlander
Accession Number
2001.8.19
Art Historical Context
Lee Friedlander's *Cambridge* (1975 is a captivating gelatin silver print that exemplifies the artist's innovative approach to street photography. Captured in the mid-1970s, this black-and-white image measures 28.58 × 19.05 cm (image) on a 35.56 × 27.94 cm sheet, showcasing Friedlander's mastery of the gelatin silver process—a traditional medium prized for its rich tonal gradations and fine detail, which allowed photographers to elevate documentary work to fine art. Friedlander, a pivotal figure in American photography since the 1960s, is renowned for his complex, fragmented compositions that...
About the Artist
Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander, born on July 14, 1934, in Aberdeen, Washington, to a Finnish-descended mother, Kaari Nurmi, and German-Jewish émigré father, Fritz Friedlander, discovered photography at age 14 amid a fascination with the medium's equipment. Tragedy marked his childhood when his mother died of cancer at age seven, yet he pursued his passion, earning pocket money with a camera before studying under...