Tricycle (Memphis)

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Copied William Eggleston, Tricycle (Memphis), ca. 1975, printed 1980, dye transfer print, sheet: 1620 in. (40.650.8 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Amy Loeserman Klein, 1985.87.12, © Eggleston Artistic Trust. Courtesy Cheim & Read, New York

Artwork Details

Title
Tricycle (Memphis)
Date
ca. 1975, printed 1980
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 1620 in. (40.650.8 cm.)
Copyright
© Eggleston Artistic Trust. Courtesy Cheim & Read, New York
Credit Line
Gift of Amy Loeserman Klein
Mediums Description
dye transfer print
Classifications
Keywords
  • Cityscape — Tennessee — Memphis
  • Object — toy — bicycle
  • Architecture Exterior — domestic — house
Object Number
1985.87.12

Artwork Description

An ordinary tricycle is made monumental in this playful color photograph. Taken from below, it suggests a child’s perspective – elevating this rusty tricycle to a symbol of innocence and freedom. The quiet Memphis suburb in the background typifies the safe neighborhoods where children could spend hours playing after school. This print was made with the expensive and exacting dye imbibition process, which was typically used for fashion and advertising at the time. Eggleston began experimenting with color photography in the mid-1960s. Inspired by trips to a commercial photography lab, he developed an approach that imitates the random, imperfect style of amateur snapshots to describe his immediate surroundings combined with a keen interest in the effects of color.


A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2013