7 Items in this Learning Collection
Collection Object
Collection Object

Copyright
All Rights Reserved ()

Horsewoman, Ireland

Accession Number
1981/2.168.4

Title
Horsewoman, Ireland

Artist(s)
Alen MacWeeney

Object Creation Date
1965, printed 1979

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
19 13/16 in x 15 15/16 in (50.4 cm x 40.5 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Carl W. Melcher

Subject matter
In this photograph, a stately middle-aged woman sits atop a horse in the Irish countryside. Her dress is elegant, consisting of a long dark riding coat, pressed white shirt, bowtie, and a velvet black top hat. Her white-gloved hands lightly clutch the horse’s reins. The woman’s gaze is confident, her eyes squinting and brow furrowed as if to scrutinize the photographer’s presence.  The horse’s head is off-frame, but its mane is carefully braided together into chords, forming an elegant band of plaited dark hair that runs down its neck. The sinew and veins of the horse can be seen pressing against its skin, emphasizing the animal’s physical power. In the background, a few black and white cows graze in the field. In the far distance beneath a cloudy sky, a large body of water is evident.

Physical Description
This photograph depicts an elegantly dressed woman on top of a horse in a rural setting.

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
Ireland
Irish
cows
cows (mammals)
horseback riding
horsemen
horses
modern and contemporary art
reins (animal equipment)
riding horses (animals)
seated
top hats
women (female humans)

3 Related Resources

Ireland
(Part of: Land and People)
Nature in Photography
(Part of 3 Learning Collections)
Photographic Portraiture 1949-1969
(Part of: Identity and Self-Understanding)

& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved