Self-Portrait
1964/1969
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 14 x 21.6 cm (5 1/2 x 8 1/2 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
2001.22.76
Art Historical Context
Lee Friedlander's *Self-Portrait* (4/1969) captures the artist's innovative approach to photography during a pivotal era in American street photography. Created as a gelatin silver print classic black-and-white process prized for its rich tonal gradations and fine detail—this intimate image measures just 14 x 21.6 cm, inviting close contemplation. Friedlander, a key figure in the 1960s "New" movement, often embedded himself into urban landscapes through reflections, shadows, or fragmented views, blurring the line between observer and observed. Printed around 1969 from a 1964 negative, this wo...
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...