Eleanor, Port Huron
Harry Callahan
Description
Detroit-born photographer Harry Callahan often took pictures of his wife Eleanor. This image of her, taken in Port Huron, Michigan, shows her reclining nude in a verdant spot. The photographer paid homage to a centuries-old tradition in which the female body is closely linked to the earth and to the idea of fertility. Yet the telltale marks of the model's bathing suit remind us pointedly of the everyday situation of the clothed body.
Subject Matter:
In this photograph, Eleanor, the artist's wife, is pictured reclining nude in a clearing in a forest. The composition is conceived as a discrete series of planes distinct in tonal value and texture, beginning with the lighter toned grassy clearing within which Eleanor lies, moving backwards to a layer of bushes and shrubs, and culminating in a dense mass of dark shadowy foilage. The nude figure not only provides the center of gravity for the composition, but her light skin and the bright white cloth upon which she rests also appear as if to emanate light into the scene.
Physical Description:
Nude woman with her back turned toward the viewer, reclining in a grassy clearing.
Usage Rights:
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.