Puppet, Hotel St. Paul
1987, printed 1994
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
sheet: 35.4 × 27.6 cm (13 15/16 × 10 7/8 in.) image: 32.3 × 19.9 cm (12 11/16 × 7 13/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Betsy Karel)
Accession Number
2015.19.4734
Art Historical Context
Visitors to the National Gallery of Art will find Jim Goldberg's *Puppet, Hotel St. Paul* (1987, printed 4) a poignant example of documentary photography from the late 20th century. Goldberg, a renowned American photographer and Magnum Photos member, is celebrated for his intimate, socially conscious portraits that explore themes of identity, marginalization, and human resilience. This gelatin silver print captures a moment in a transient hotel setting, evoking the quiet drama of everyday life amid urban anonymity. The title hints at a puppet as the central subject, perhaps symbolizing vulnera...
About the Artist
Jim Goldberg
Jim Goldberg, born in 1953 in New Haven, Connecticut, emerged as a pivotal figure in American documentary photography through his immersive, collaborative approach to capturing marginalized lives. He earned a BA in photography from Western Washington University in 1975 before studying at the San Francisco Art Institute under Larry Sultan, a conceptually oriented photographer whose influence shaped...