Tremendous Trike

Happy birthday to photographer William Eggleston!

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1939, Eggleston began taking photographs at the age of 10. Although he traveled the world with his camera, he is perhaps best known for his photographs of the southeastern United States.

Like many artists, Eggleston has won both praise and criticism. Some have hailed him as the "Father of Color Photography" because he pioneered its use as an artistic medium in the mid-1970s. At the same time, others have dismissed his photographs as mere snapshots of his surroundings.

Such critics were responding to Eggleston's intention—to show everyday American life as often bland and uninspiring. Tricycle (Memphis), from SAAM's permanent collection shows the typical child's toy from a new angle.

Pictured: William Eggleston, born 1939, Tricycle (Memphis), about 1975, printed 1980, dye transfer print on paper, 16 x 20 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Amy Loeserman Klein.