Standing between their bunk beds, Margie admires her four sons: Johnny, 13, Pierre, 11, Jamont, 9, and Johnnell, 11. She always took care of her kids until she fell in love with a drug addict and became addicted herself. Her children's world fell apart and they became homeless residents at the mission. Olive Branch Mission, Chicago.

1999

Donna Ferrato

Associated Names
Donna Ferrato

Artist, American, born 1949

The image depicts a group of four children and an adult woman in a black and white photograph taken indoors. The older boy on the left is wearing a large t-shirt, while two other boys are shirtless, one with a cross necklace. The younger child in the middle is wearing a long-sleeved shirt with horizontal stripes. The adult woman, partly seen on the right, is wearing a dark turtleneck. The room is cluttered with items such as bunk beds with visible bedding, clothing hanging, and bags. There's a dresser with cups and papers on top. The children appear relaxed, and the atmosphere is cluttered yet warm, with personal belongings around.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Corcoran Collection (Gift of Donna Ferrato)

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 40.5 × 50.5 cm (15 15/16 × 19 7/8 in.)
    image: 33.1 × 49.1 cm (13 1/16 × 19 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.19.5137

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Donna Ferrato, New York; gift to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2009; acquired by NGA, 2015.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1999

  • The Way Home: Ending Homelessness in America, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, December 4, 1999 – January 30, 2000

Bibliography

1999

  • The Way Home: Ending Homelessness in America. Exh. cat. Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, 1999: 93.

Inscriptions

on verso, signed by artist, across center in graphite: © Donna Ferrato

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