Print of "Mother and Child"
Object Details
- Artist
- James Amos Porter
- Date
- after 1930
- Medium
- silver-gelatin photograph on RC paper
- Dimensions
- 14 × 10 7/8 in. (35.5 × 27.7 cm)
- Caption
- A mother and child gaze at a small object in the woman’s hand in this photographic reproduction of a charcoal drawing. The dynamic posing of the figures recalls Renaissance and Mannerist works, which James A. Porter studied throughout his career as an artist, art historian, and professor. The contrast between the soft rendering of the child’s figure and the rippled contours of the mother demonstrates the artist’s ability to capture differences in anatomy and lighting. This drawing critically considers the act of composition and anatomical study.
- This work was photographed by the Scurlock Studio, an African American-run photography firm that captured many important portraits and events in Black Washington, in addition to scenes from local life and works of art by Black artists in Washington, DC. This photograph was among the records of Porter’s work kept by his daughter, who donated this and six others to the museum (2001.0003.0002, 2003.0019.0002, 2003.0019.0004, 2003.0019.0005, 2003.0019.0006, 2003.0019.0007).
- Accession Number
- 2003.0019.0004
- Type
- photograph
- See more items in
- Anacostia Community Museum Collection
- Data Source
- Anacostia Community Museum
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Record ID
- acm_2003.0019.0004
