Accession Number
2014/2.265

Title
Carting the Dead, Kerch, Crimea

Artist(s)
Dmitri Baltermants

Artist Nationality
Russian (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1942; printed 2003

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
16 in x 20 in (40.64 cm x 50.8 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James Agah, Class of 1989 (BBA)

Subject matter
This photograph depicts three women pushing a wagon full of dead bodies through a barren, muddy landscape. The photograph stages a series of oppositions, formally and conceptually: on the right-hand side are dead, male soldiers, while on the left are living, female civilians. The image presents a rather ambivalent view both of warfare and patriotism. Here, the women’s patriotic duty entails dealing with, psychologically and physically, the tragic consequences of battle.

Physical Description
Three women push a wagon carrying dead bodies through muddy and barren terrain.

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
dead (people)
journalistic photography
soldiers
wagons (cargo vehicles)
war photography
women (female humans)