Rosemary’s Dock
David Hilliard
Description
Subject Matter:
The images of this triptych form a panoramic view of a waterfront house’s interior and a doorway leading outside. The interior of the space is wooden and rustic, and the green lushness of the far shore suggests that it is summertime. In the left panel stands a young girl in an orange two-piece swimsuit. She stands idly on a deck, her left hand unconsciously touching her hair. Beyond the beams and roof of the porch is a brightly illuminated body of water, a distant treelined shore barely legible in the brightness. Behind the girl, the form of a white dog disappears behind the wall.
In the central panel, standing close to the camera, is the torso of a figure wrapped in an blue and orange striped towel. The figure’s hand grasps the towel tight around their torso, his or her wet hair draping down their shoulder. Behind the figure stands a stack of red and blue inflatable tubes. The stack of tubes continues into the right panel, next to which sit two girls in two-piece bathing suits. They huddle close and appear to be looking towards the central figure, one with her hand raised to her mouth, as if to suggest whispering or stifling laughter. Behind the girls hang a Chinese folding fan and some paper lanterns. While creating a panoptic view of the space, the combination of these three panels also serves to evoke a subtle narrative, one imbued with a strong sense of summertime adolescence and introspection.
Physical Description:
This photograph depicts a young girl in a two-piece bathing suit standing on a porch and looking into an open doorway. Behind her is a dog and a body of water. This image is the far left panel of a triptych.
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.