Untitled (Chair in the snow, Manhattan Valley, New York)

Frank Espada, Untitled (Chair in the snow, Manhattan Valley, New York), 1981, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center, 2015.22.13, © 1981, Frank Espada Photography
Frank Espada, Untitled (Chair in the snow, Manhattan Valley, New York), 1981, gelatin silver print, image: 13 18 × 19 58 in. (33.3 × 49.8 cm) sheet: 15 78 × 20 in. (40.3 × 50.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center, 2015.22.13, © 1981, Frank Espada Photography

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled (Chair in the snow, Manhattan Valley, New York)
Artist
Date
1981
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 13 18 × 19 58 in. (33.3 × 49.8 cm) sheet: 15 78 × 20 in. (40.3 × 50.8 cm)
Copyright
© 1981, Frank Espada Photography
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Smithsonian Latino Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Latino Center
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Cityscape — weather — snow
  • Cityscape — season — winter
  • Object — furniture — chair
  • Architecture Exterior
  • Cityscape — New York — New City
Object Number
2015.22.13

Artwork Description

An armchair, typically an object of domestic comfort and warmth, is cast off onto a cold and barren lot. Frank Espada's poetic photograph sheds light on a difficult chapter in New York history. It was taken in a neighborhood where arson for profit had destroyed buildings and displaced residents.

Down These Mean Streets: Community and Place in Urban Photography, 2017
Description in Spanish

Un sillón, que suele ser un objeto de comodidad y calor doméstico es desechado en un lote frío y árido. La poética fotografía de Frank Espada revela un capítulo difícil de la historia de Nueva York. La imagen fue tomada en un vecindario donde los incendios provocados con fines de lucro destruyeron edificios y desplazaron a los residentes.

Por estas calles bravas: Comunidad y lugar en la fotografía urbana, 2017

Works by this artist (61 items)

James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, found paper, soot, and color of unknown origin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Castle Collection and Archive and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.27.49
Untitled
Dateca. 1931-1977
found paper, soot, and color of unknown origin
On view
James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, found paper and soot, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Castle Collection and Archive and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.27.48
Untitled
Dateca. 1931-1977
found paper and soot
On view
James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, found paper, soot, and color of unknown origin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Castle Collection and Archive and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.27.46
Untitled
Dateca. 1931-1977
found paper, soot, and color of unknown origin
On view
James Castle, Untitled, ca. 1931-1977, found paper and soot, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Castle Collection and Archive and museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2013.27.7
Untitled
Dateca. 1931-1977
found paper and soot
Not on view

Exhibitions

Photograph of children playing in the water from a fire hydrant by Hiram Maristany
Down These Mean Streets: Community and Place in Urban Photography
May 11, 2017August 5, 2017
America’s urban streets have long inspired documentary photographers. After World War II, populations shifted from the city to the suburbs and newly built highways cut through thriving neighborhoods, leaving isolated pockets within major urban centers.

More Artworks from the Collection

William H. Johnson, Breakdown, ca. 1940-1941, tempera, pen and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1103
Breakdown
Dateca. 1940-1941
tempera, pen and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Soap Box Racing, ca. 1939-1940, tempera and pen and ink with pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.160
Soap Box Racing
Dateca. 1939-1940
tempera and pen and ink with pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Portrait of Nude Woman, ca. 1939-1940, tempera and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.287
Portrait of Nude Woman
Dateca. 1939-1940
tempera and pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Lofoten, Norway--Midnight Sun, ca. 1937-1938, tempera and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.59
Lofoten, Norway – Midnight Sun
Dateca. 1937-1938
tempera and pencil on paper
Not on view