Self-Portrait
1964/1969
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 23.2 x 15.2 cm (9 1/8 x 6 in.) mount: 35.6 x 27.9 cm (14 x 11 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.121
Art Historical Context
Lee Friedlander's *Self-Portrait* (4/1969) is a striking gelatin silver print, a classic black-and-white photographic medium prized for its rich tonal range and fine detail. Measuring just 23.2 x 15.2 cm on its sheet, this intimate work captures the artist's innovative approach to self-representation during the vibrant era of mid-20th-century American street photography. Friedlander, a pivotal figure in the movement alongside contemporaries like Garry Winogrand and Diane Arbus, often embedded himself unobtrusively into urban landscapes, using reflections, shadows, and fragmented views to chall...
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...