Accession Number
1984/1.260.2

Title
Little Tinker Child, Ireland

Artist(s)
Alen MacWeeney

Object Creation Date
1965-1966, printed 1979

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
19 15/16 in x 16 in (50.6 cm x 40.6 cm);18 1/8 in x 22 1/8 in (46.04 cm x 56.2 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Carl W. Melcher

Subject matter
Standing in the center of this photograph is a young girl. Her dress is smudged and dirty, as are her fingers. Her gaze however is confident and clear. Hair slightly tussled, hand unconsciously pulling at the hem or dress, she calmly regards the camera’s lens, meeting the viewer’s eyes. She stands in a grassy field that rapidly falls out of focus behind her. To her right, a small white piece of trash sits in the grass. This child belongs to a small ethnic minority in Ireland known as Travellers, a nomadic community of people that move from site to site, assembling makeshift caravans and camps. This photograph was taken at their camp in an area outside of Dublin known as Cherry Orchard. The term “Tinker”, once used as in reference to the Travellers’ long-time means of self-employment by gathering and working with scrap metals, is now considered derogatory. Her disheveled appearance relates the poverty her family faces, however her assured expression imparts the defiant pride the Traveller community embodies.  

Physical Description
This photograph depicts a young girl standing in a grassy field wearing a stained and dirty dress.

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
Figures
Ireland
Irish
camps (temporary settlements)
children (people by age group)
dresses (garments)
fields (land)
girl
girls
modern and contemporary art
standing