Penny Picture Display, Savannah, Georgia, 1936
Walker Evansexpand_more
Gelatin silver printexpand_more
Gift of D. Thomas Bergenexpand_more 75.41.1
Not on Viewexpand_more
In this photograph, Walker Evans turned his lens on the commercial nature of photography. As the title states, it would only cost a penny to have a portrait taken and printed in Savannah, Georgia, in 1936. By contrast, to have a daguerreotype taken (you can see an example of this type of photograph in the nearby antique case) would cost anywhere from $2.50 to $6.00 in the 1850s—that’s $70-$160 in today’s dollars.
If you look closely, you will notice that some of the portraits are of the same person. This illustrates changes in photographic technology that allowed multiple poses and pictures to be taken in one visit to the studio, cheaply and easily.
Details
- Title
- Penny Picture Display, Savannah, Georgia
- Artist Life
- 1903–1975
- Role
- Photographer
- Accession Number
- 75.41.1
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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