100 Boots Out of a Job. Terminal Island, California. February 15, 1972, 4:45 p.m.

1972

Eleanor Antin

Associated Names
Eleanor Antin

Artist, American, born 1935

Phel Steinmetz

Photographer, American, 1944 - 2013

Frye & Smith, Ltd.

Printer, American, founded 1896

The image shows a ground-level view of a barren landscape with pairs of rubber boots standing upright and partially buried in the dirt. In the distance, an industrial complex is visible, marked by chimneys and structures emitting smoke. Utility poles and cables line the horizon. The photograph is in black and white, emphasizing light and shadow contrasts. The composition focuses sharply on the details of the boots and becomes less distinct toward the horizon.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    halftone print (postcard)

  • Credit Line

    Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund

  • Dimensions

    image/sheet: 11.5 × 17.75 cm (4 1/2 × 7 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.205.22

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Eleanor Antin, San Diego, CA; Larry McGilvery, La Jolla, CA; Danny and Mary Solomon, Monarch Beach, CA; (Joseph Bellows Gallery, La Jolla, CA); NGA purchase, 2015.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2025

  • The '70s Lens: Reimagining Documentary Photography: National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, October 6, 2024–April 6, 2025

Inscriptions

upper center stamped in black ink: 9; on verso, top left printed in black ink: 201 Pacific Ave., Solana Beach, California 92075; top right eight-cent stamp crossed out in graphite: UNITED STATES 8c [in red ink]; upper right printed in black ink: POST CARD / ADDRESS; center printed in black ink perpendicular: FRYE & SMITH, LTD., SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA; center right printed in black ink on applied label: Laurence McGilvery / P.O. Box 852 / La Jolla, Calif. 92037; bottom left printed in black ink: Eleanor Antin / 100 BOOTS OUT OF A JOB / Terminal Island, California / Feb. 15, 1972 4:45 P.M. / (Photo: Philip Steinmetz); by unknown hand, bottom left in graphite: No.22

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