Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2015.

George Platt Lynes and Jared French, Fire Island

Artist PaJaMa (American)

Artist Paul Cadmus (American, 1904-1999)

Artist Jared French (American, 1905 - 1988)

Artist Margaret Hoening French (American, 1889 - 1998)

CultureAmerican

Dateca. 1940

MediumGelatin silver print

Dimensions7 1/8 × 7 in. (18.1 × 17.8 cm)
Overall, Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm)

InscribedOn verso: “TIC0004” in graphite On verso: “George Platt Lynes & Jared French / Saltaire / by Jonathan Tichenor?”

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number2015.5.1

Not on view

DescriptionGelatin silver print showing photographer George Platt Lynes on the left (platinum blond in the summer of 1940), and his painter friend Jared French in a mirroring pose, both atop two sawhorses on the beach. There is a Paul Cadmus collection hand stamp and a Jon Anderson collection hand stamp on the verso, along with the inscription “TIC0004” in graphite. There is also an inscription in ink reading “George Platt Lynes & Jared French / Saltaire / by Jonathan Tichenor?” The backing board has a label from D.C. Moore Gallery and a stamp from C.L.V. Art Services.
Label TextPaJaMa Paul Cadmus American, 1904–1999 Jared French American, 1905–1988 Margaret Hoening French American, 1889–1973 George Platt Lynes and Jared French, Fire Island, ca. 1940 Gelatin silver print (photograph) Human forms and the hard lines of wooden sawhorses seamlessly blend in this photograph. George Platt Lynes and Jared French were among a group of artists who explored the formal and sometimes erotic play of human bodies against the geometry of architecture and landscape. Photographs like this one made by PaJaMa (an acronym of the names of three collaborative artists) and fellow photographer Lynes were only circulated among their private circle and many are now lost or destroyed. Museum purchase 2015.5.1ProvenanceEx-collection Paul Cadmus. Jon F. Anderson and Philis Raskind-Anderson, CT. Purchased by Chrysler Museum of Art from Swann Auction Galleries, New York, June 4, 2015 (“American Art, Featuring Paul Cadmus & His Circle," Sale #2386).Exhibition History"5 Years of Photography: Building the Chrysler Collection," Photography & Focus Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, June 26 - November 10, 2019.Published ReferencesPanzetta, _Jared French by Jared French_ (Turin, 2010) 263, no. 467.