The Bat

1902

Gertrude Käsebier

Associated Names
Gertrude Käsebier

Artist, American, 1852 - 1934

This dark photograph shows a person standing near the top left corner with their arms extended out to either side, appearing to grasp a piece of dark fabric or a cloak. The individual's head is obscured in shadow, and their pale, nude body is only partially visible. Behind them, on the right, appears to be a large rock. Closer to us, at the bottom of the photograph, the ground appears rough and natural, littered with twigs, long branches, and stones. The scene is very dark, and some details are hard to make out.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    platinum print

  • Credit Line

    Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    image: 20.6 x 15.4 cm (8 1/8 x 6 1/16 in.)
    mount: 20.9 x 15.6 cm (8 1/4 x 6 1/8 in.)
    mount: 21.2 x 15.9 cm (8 3/8 x 6 1/4 in.)
    mount: 34 x 26.1 cm (13 3/8 x 10 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2008.65.14

More About this Artwork

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Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Käsebier family; gift to private collection; NGA purchase (through Charles Isaacs Photographs Inc., New York), 2008.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

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

Wikidata ID

Q64154277

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