Accession Number
1974/1.118

Title
Ragpickers' Hut

Artist(s)
Eugène Atget

Artist Nationality
French (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1912

Medium & Support
gold-toned gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
10 in x 13 in (25.4 cm x 33.02 cm)

Credit Line
Museum Purchase

Subject matter
In this photograph Atget treats a ragpickers' hut with the same solemnity and attention as one might reserve for monumental architecture. The shack is tightly framed and silhouetted against the sky, with little extraneous context included. Although the building appears flimsy and is situated on a patch of dirt, the façade is decorated with figurines and other trinkets, while a plant is being coaxed to grow up the side of the structure. Like many of Atget's photographs we do not see the occupants of the hut, but the photographer's close attention to their belongings lends a personal resonance to the image.

Physical Description
Shack belonging to a group of ragpickers.

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
Rural life
documentary photography
home
huts
huts (houses)
modern and contemporary art
poverty
ragpickers
shacks