Accession Number
1983/1.295.7

Title
Shacks and Main Street Buildings

Artist(s)
George A. Tice

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1965; printed 1971

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
14 1/8 in x 11 in (35.88 cm x 27.94 cm);19 3/4 in x 14 3/8 in (50.17 cm x 36.51 cm);3 7/16 in x 6 7/16 in (8.73 cm x 16.35 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of the Marvin Felheim Collection

Subject matter
This photograph depicts several houses and shacks that remain in the ghost town of Bodie, California, once a bustling settlement for the gold mining community in the late nineteenth century. One of twelve views of Bodie that Tice issued as a portfolio, this view juxtaposes the beauty and timelessness of the natural landscape with the abandoned and degraded structures that remain of the town of Bodie, now a National Historic Landmark. As it appears in Tice's photograph, Bodie invites reflection on the frailty of human ambition, even while the streak of cloud in the sky—perhaps left behind by a departing airplane—gestures to modern development and progress.

Physical Description
Photograph of shacks and abandoned houses in a landscape.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
buildings
ghost towns
gold towns
hills
landscapes (environments)
main streets
modern and contemporary art
shacks
streets