Rattlesnake Creek, Missoula, Montana

Media - 2008.2.16 - SAAM-2008.2.16_1 - 67829
Copied Barbara Bosworth, Rattlesnake Creek, Missoula, Montana, 1996, gelatin silver print, 9 5823 14 in. (24.459.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Haluk and Elisa Soykan, 2008.2.16, © 1996, Barbara Bosworth

Artwork Details

Title
Rattlesnake Creek, Missoula, Montana
Date
1996
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
9 5823 14 in. (24.459.1 cm)
Copyright
© 1996, Barbara Bosworth
Credit Line
Gift of Haluk and Elisa Soykan
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure(s) in exterior
  • Landscape — Montana — Missoula
Object Number
2008.2.16

Artwork Description

Bosworth uses a distinctive method to make her panoramic photographs. She begins by exposing two, three, or four eight-by-ten-inch negatives in sequence, and then makes a contact print by setting the negatives side by side on a single sheet of photographic paper. The unexposed border of the film where the negatives meet appears as a black line. Although Bosworth could easily trim this mark away, she chooses not to hide the seam between each frame, preferring the evidence of her technique to remain visible. At a time when digital manipulation is becoming the norm, it is refreshing to encounter images that consciously draw attention to the photographic process and the manner of an image's creation.

Earth and Sky: Photographs by Barbara Bosworth exhibition label