January 6, 1994, from the series Mother Daughter Posing as Ourselves

Elaine O'Neil, January 6, 1994, from the series Mother Daughter Posing as Ourselves, 1994, printed 2005, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2010.47.2, © 2009, Elaine O'Neil
Copied Elaine O'Neil, January 6, 1994, from the series Mother Daughter Posing as Ourselves, 1994, printed 2005, gelatin silver print, image: 15 1⁄4 x 18 1⁄2 in. (38.8 x 47.0 cm) sheet: 15 7⁄8 x 19 3⁄4 in. (40.3 x 50.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2010.47.2, © 2009, Elaine O'Neil

Artwork Details

Title
January 6, 1994, from the series Mother Daughter Posing as Ourselves
Artist
Date
1994, printed 2005
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 15 1⁄4 x 18 1⁄2 in. (38.8 x 47.0 cm) sheet: 15 7⁄8 x 19 3⁄4 in. (40.3 x 50.2 cm)
Copyright
© 2009, Elaine O'Neil
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Hess, Julia
  • Figure group — female and child
  • Occupation — art — photographer
  • Portrait female — O’Neil, Elaine — self-portrait
Object Number
2010.47.2
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2010.47.2

Artwork Description

Over a period of five years Elaine O’Neil and her daughter Julia Hess met each day in the living room to pose for a portrait. The images that resulted from their project—over 1,500 exposures in all—document Julia’s transition from a child of ten under her mother’s protective arm to an independent young woman. They also uncover the complexity of feelings shared by parents and children, laying bare the emotions—affection, anger, frustration, indifference, exasperation, amusement—Julia and her mother felt as they paused for a brief moment while waiting for the shutter to click.

Close to Home: Photographers and their Families, 2011