Self-Portrait
1960s
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 15.3 × 23.3 cm (6 × 9 3/16 in.) sheet: 27.7 × 35.5 cm (10 7/8 × 14 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Lee Friedlander
Accession Number
2001.8.9
Art Historical Context
Lee Friedlander's *Self-Portrait* (1960s) captures the artist's signature wit and ingenuity in a gelatin silver print, a classic black-and-white photographic process prized for its rich tonal gradations and sharp detail. Measuring 15.3 × 23.3 cm, this intimate image exemplifies Friedlander's street photography style, where he often embedded himself into urban environments through reflections in glass, mirrors, or shiny surfaces, creating fragmented, multifaceted views of identity. Emerging in the post-World War II era, Friedlander was a key figure among American photographers pushing boundari...
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...