Nude Foot, San Francisco, California
1947
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 21.3 × 27 cm (8 3/8 × 10 5/8 in.) sheet: 27.5 × 34.8 cm (10 13/16 × 13 11/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Robert B. Menschel
Accession Number
2019.180.1.2
Art Historical Context
Minor White's *Nude Foot, San, California* (194) captures an intimate, abstracted study of a bare human foot, rendered in exquisite detail through the gelatin silver print process—a hallmark of mid-20th-century black-and-white photography. This medium allowed for rich tonal range and sharp clarity, emphasizing texture and form against a softly lit background. Printed to precise dimensions (image: 21.3 × 27 cm), the work exemplifies White's mastery light and shadow, transforming an everyday subject into something profoundly evocative. As a pivotal figure in American photography, White (1908–19...
About the Artist
Minor White
Minor White (1908–1976) was an American photographer, editor, and educator who became one of the most influential figures in postwar American art photography. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he studied botany and English at the University of Minnesota before turning to photography in the late 1930s, working for the WPA and the Portland Art Museum. After serving in World War II, White studied at C...