Subway Portrait

1938-1941

Walker Evans

Associated Names
Walker Evans

Artist, American, 1903 - 1975

The image shows the upper bodies of two elderly women seated next to each other, facing us. The woman on the left has her head turned slightly to her right, gazing towards the other woman. She has a weathered yet strong facial structure, with notable cheekbones and a firm expression. Her hair is covered by a dark hat, and she wears a textured coat, which she holds closely along with a striped handbag. The woman on the right sits upright with her body facing forward, her face turned slightly towards the left woman. She has an angular face with older features, and she wears glasses and a hat with decorative elements. She wears a dark coat with a fur collar. The setting appears to be inside a train or streetcar, as suggested by the window behind them and reflections in it. The background is blurred, with diffused circles of light indicating urban environments or overhead lighting within the vehicle.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    John Wilmerding Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 20.2 x 25.2 cm (7 15/16 x 9 15/16 in.)
    image: 12.4 x 18 cm (4 7/8 x 7 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1989.11.2


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Dr. and Mrs. Kent Minichiello, Washington, DC; purchased with donated funds from John Wilmerding by NGA, 1989.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1991

  • Walker Evans: Subway Portraits and Other Recent Acquisitions, National Gallery of Art, Washington; Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, 1991-1992.

1994

  • George Grosz: Berlin - New York, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin and Kunstammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, 1994-1995.

2003

  • "Cruel and Tender: The Real in the Twentieth Century Photograph", Tate Modern, London; Museum Ludwig, Cologne, 2003-2004.

2015

  • In Light of the Past: Celebrating Twenty-Five Years of Collecting Photographs at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, May 3 – July 26, 2015

Bibliography

1966

  • Many Are Called. Boston, 1966: p. 15.

1991

  • Greenough 1991, pl. 41.

Inscriptions

upside down, upper left in graphite: 4; lower center verso: Evans estate stamp with inventory number VI-14 added in graphite; by unknown hand, lower right verso in graphite: 57 (cir cled) Lunn Gallery, N.Y.

Wikidata ID

Q64171754

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