Accession Number
2014/2.152

Title
Tiffany & Leina - St Johns, Portland

Artist(s)
Bobby Abrahamson

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
2012

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
14 in x 11 in (35.56 cm x 27.94 cm)

Credit Line
Gift from the Collection of David S. Rosen MD, MPH

Subject matter
Standing side-by-side in the center of this photograph are two women with their arms wrapped around one another. Both having shoulder-length dark hair, the pair appears to be in their twenties. The taller woman on the left has her arm around her friend’s shoulder, her right arm bears a tattoo. Both women stand slightly contrapposto, the sunlight casting raking shadows of their legs on the asphalt below them. The blurred, out-of-focus setting behind the figures appears to be an asphalted, suburban lot, with trees and telephone poles visible. Indicative of Polaroid Type 55 film—the kind of film used to create this image—a rectangular, white border made by chemical stains from the photo’s processing appears to float on top of the image, framing the figures inside. While this image has the appearance of a snapshot, the rich luster of the gelatin silver print imbues the moment with a palpable intentionality. This photograph is part of a series documenting the people in the photographer’s neighborhood in St. Johns, Portland, Oregon.

Physical Description
This photograph depicts two women standing side by side on an asphalt-paved street. The taller woman has a tattoo on one arm and affectionately wraps her other arm around her companion’s shoulder.

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
friends (philanthropists)
group portraits
street scenes
suburban landscapes
tattoos
women (female humans)