Eleanor
Artist
Harry Callahan
(American, 1912-1999)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1947
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsOverall, Image: 4 5/8 × 3 1/2 in. (11.7 × 8.9 cm)
Overall, Paper: 8 × 4 7/8 in. (20.3 × 12.4 cm)
Overall, Mat: 16 1/16 × 20 1/16 in. (40.8 × 51 cm)
Overall, Paper: 8 × 4 7/8 in. (20.3 × 12.4 cm)
Overall, Mat: 16 1/16 × 20 1/16 in. (40.8 × 51 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number82.106
Not on view
Label TextHarry Callahan
American, 1912–1999
Eleanor, ca. 1947
Gelatin silver print
Harry Callahan’s favorite muse was his wife, Eleanor, to whom he was married for sixty-three years. Over the course of decades Eleanor sat for Harry, depicted in intimate spaces and often nude. This personal connection to the subject shows one way photographers have recorded those nearest and dearest to them to create a sustained document of love and intimacy. Eleanor has said, “I like the way he photographed,” suggesting that she was more than just a muse, but a willing participant and admirer of her husband’s work.
Museum purchase 82.106
Exhibition History"The Portrait in America," The Alice R. and Sol B. Frank Photography Galleries, The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, Jan. 26 - April 8, 1990.
"Facing Ourselves: Mike Disfarmer and the American Portrait," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, December 16, 2022 - May 14, 2023.Published ReferencesBrooks Johnson. _The Portrait in America_. The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA. 1990: pp. 7, 49.
