From roof of Brahmin's house wherein we'd rented Third floor room six months December to May 1963, could see past temple mandir tops across Ganges river to other shore. Our balconies hung over vegetable-meat market one side, other side overlooked sacred street down to Dasasumedh [or Dasaswamedh?] Ghat bathing steps peopled by Pilgrims beggars & cows; monkeys visited and snatched our bananas, Peter Orlovsky held my Retina, Benares India Spring 1963.

1963, printed 1989

Allen Ginsberg

Associated Names
Allen Ginsberg

Artist, American, 1926 - 1997

This is a photograph of a monkey and a person interacting on a rooftop. The image shows a monkey extending its paw toward the hand of a figure standing on a stone balcony. The background features traditional architectural elements, including ornate temple spires, and lush foliage frames the scene to the right. The foreground shows a stone balustrade with signs of aging. Handwritten notes at the bottom of the image suggest it was taken in a historical or cultural setting.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Gary S. Davis

  • Dimensions

    image: 29.6 x 43.2 cm (11 5/8 x 17 in.)
    sheet: 40.5 x 50.5 cm (15 15/16 x 19 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2008.131.22

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Allen Ginsberg Estate; Ellen and Gary Davis, Greenwich, CT (through Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York); gift to NGA, 2008.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

signed by artist, lower right on sheet in black ink: Allen Ginsberg; artist inscription, across bottom under image: From roof of Brahmin's house wherein we'd rented Third floor room six months December to May 1963, could see past temple mandir tops across Ganges river to other shore. Our balconies hung over vegetable-meat market one side, other side overlooked sacred street down to Dasasumedh [or Dasaswamedh?] Ghat bathing steps peopled by Pilgrims beggars & cows; monkeys visited and snatched our bananas, Peter Orlovsky held my Retina, Benares India Spring 1963.; on verso, by unknown hand, across lower center in graphite: GD-AG-89; across lower right: GDC-887; in lower left corner: C: A61-17; across lower left: 62/#58/1089; across upper left corner: #24 VE; across upper right: Signed 10/23/89 10/18/89 S.K.

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