Accession Number1999/1.95
TitleChicken Feathers
Artist(s)Keith CarterArtist NationalityAmerican (North American)Object Creation Date1999Medium & Supportgelatin silver print on paperDimensions 15 1/4 in x 15 1/4 in (38.7 cm x 38.7 cm);24 1/16 in x 20 1/8 in (61.12 cm x 51.12 cm);19 15/16 in x 16 in (50.6 cm x 40.6 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase made possible by the W. Hawkins Ferry FundSubject matterThis photograph depicts a centralized composition of three children standing outdoors in what appears to be a yard before a shed’s walls. Scattered upon the dark earth beneath their feet, the yard is dotted with white chicken feathers. The smiling children are wearing costumes and hats, two wearing shirts too large for them, so that they fall baggily about their bodies. The boy on the right wears white gloves and a pair of tight pants with white skeleton bones emblazoned on it. All three children hold ignited sparklers in their right hands, which send up vaporous clouds of smoke before their faces. The children’s smiling expressions and their outfits evoke associations of childhood play and whimsy, the incendiary glow of the sparklers imparting a palpable sense of magic.
Physical DescriptionThis photograph depicts a view of three costumed children holding sparklers in a yard. On the ground there are chicken feathers strewn about.
Primary Object ClassificationPhotographCollection AreaPhotographyRightsIf 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
children
children (people by age group)
costume components
feathers (animal components)
fireworks (explosive equipment)
house
play (recreation)
sheds (storage structures)
smoke
sneakers
standing
youth (life stages)