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Little Tinker Child, Ireland

Alen MacWeeney

Artwork Details

Little Tinker Child, Ireland
1965-1966, printed 1979
Alen MacWeeney
gelatin silver print on paper
19 15/16 in x 16 in (50.6 cm x 40.6 cm);18 1/8 in x 22 1/8 in (46.04 cm x 56.2 cm)
Gift of Carl W. Melcher
1984/1.260.2

Description

Subject Matter:

Standing in the center of this photograph is a young girl. Her dress is smudged and dirty, as are her fingers. Her gaze however is confident and clear. Hair slightly tussled, hand unconsciously pulling at the hem or dress, she calmly regards the camera’s lens, meeting the viewer’s eyes. She stands in a grassy field that rapidly falls out of focus behind her. To her right, a small white piece of trash sits in the grass. This child belongs to a small ethnic minority in Ireland known as Travellers, a nomadic community of people that move from site to site, assembling makeshift caravans and camps. This photograph was taken at their camp in an area outside of Dublin known as Cherry Orchard. The term “Tinker”, once used as in reference to the Travellers’ long-time means of self-employment by gathering and working with scrap metals, is now considered derogatory. Her disheveled appearance relates the poverty her family faces, however her assured expression imparts the defiant pride the Traveller community embodies.  

Physical Description:

This photograph depicts a young girl standing in a grassy field wearing a stained and dirty dress.

Usage Rights:

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