Subway Portrait

1938-1941

Walker Evans

Associated Names
Walker Evans

Artist, American, 1903 - 1975

This is a photograph of an interior scene within a public transit setting. The composition captures a moment of daily life, focusing on two subjects seated closely together on what appears to be a subway or train. The lighting is subdued, likely due to the indoor setting, and the presence of overhead lights is subtly indicated in the background. The image is black and white, which emphasizes the texture and forms over color, conveying a vintage or timeless quality.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    John Wilmerding Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 20.3 x 25.3 cm (8 x 9 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1989.11.1

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 Photographs and Other Recent Acquisitions, National Gallery of Art, Washington; Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, 1991-1992.

Bibliography

1991

  • Greenough 1991, pl. 43.

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: 3S; lower center verso: Evans estate stamp with inventory number VI-14v added in graphite; by later hand, lower left verso in graphite: #1583; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: WEv.153.y; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: 4

Wikidata ID

Q64171742

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