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WR5 Model T in Front of Barn

Wright Morris

Artwork Details

WR5 Model T in Front of Barn
1947, printed 1947-1984
Wright Morris
gelatin silver print on paper
10 1/16 in x 7 7/8 in (25.5 cm x 20 cm);19 5/16 in x 14 5/16 in (49.05 cm x 36.35 cm);10 1/16 in x 7 15/16 in (25.5 cm x 20.2 cm);9 7/16 in x 7 1/2 in (24 cm x 19 cm)
Museum Purchase made possible by the Friends of the Museum of Art
1984/1.292

Description

Subject Matter:

Composed symmetrically, this photograph depicts a black, Model T Ford automobile sitting squarely in front of the façade of a wooden barn. The barn’s face is photographed straight-on, its peaked roof forming a large triangle that dominates the upper-half of the image. Unpainted and weathered, the bare clapboards of the barn run in horizontal bands across the barn's face, while the closed doors are composed of vertical planks, running perpendicular to the rest of the structure’s construction. Framed perfectly in the rectangle formed by the barn doors, the car sits motionless and empty. The slightly vignetted upper corners of the image draw one’s attention to triangular point of the building’s roof. In the top right corner, a faint wisp of cloud extends out of the frame. The symmetrical, centralized composition emphasizes a sense of stillness and order, and lends the barn and car a sense of stoic dignity. 

Physical Description:

This image depicts a driverless Model T Ford automobile sitting in front of a wooden barn.

Usage Rights:

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