Gay Block
Mother and Daughters; Jane Elise with Lynn and Joan

Mother and Daughters; Jane Elise with Lynn and Joan

© Gay Block

Mother and Daughters; Jane Elise with Lynn and Joan
Mother and Daughters; Jane Elise with Lynn and Joan
ArtistAmerican, born 1942
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Mother and Daughters; Jane Elise with Lynn and Joan
Date1976
PlaceHouston, Texas, United States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 13 15/16 × 14 in. (35.4 × 35.6 cm)
Sheet: 19 7/8 × 16 in. (50.5 × 40.6 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Gay Block's Consciousness-Raising Group plus one
Object number79.193
Non exposé

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Special Collections
Object Type
Description


Driven by a need to understand herself and those closest to her, Gay Block’s early work in portraiture began with her family and then expanded out to her close friends, many of whom were part of the Jewish community in Houston in which she grew up. These early portraits often emphasize familial relationships and show the sitters in their homes or businesses, posing plainly for the camera. This emphasis on self-presentation would become an element that Block would explore throughout her career, aiming to pull back the facade and reveal the character within.



Provenance[The Cronin Gallery, Houston]; purchased by MFAH, 1979.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
bottom left below image in ink: Mother & Daughters; Jane Elise with Lynn & Joan
bottom right below image in ink: Gay Block 1976

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Mother & daughters, Sybil, Jean & Lois
Gay Block
1975, printed 1998
Gelatin silver print
2022.36.101
Mother and Daughter:  Esther and Joan
Gay Block
1978
Gelatin silver print
79.192
Mother & Daughter (Dede and Bertha)
Gay Block
1975
Gelatin silver print
2022.36.102
Alice & Rina Cahana, Mother & Daughter, Houston
Gay Block
1978, printed 1998
Gelatin silver print
2022.36.100
Joan (Alexander)
Gay Block
1975
Gelatin silver print
2022.36.103
Joan & Jack DeWald, Scottsdale, Arizona
Gay Block
1981
Gelatin silver print
2022.36.83
Nancy Lesser’s daughter, Laurie Wolk, Camp Pinecliffe, Maine
Gay Block
1981
Gelatin silver print
2022.36.62
Mother & Sons (Susan, David & Bobby)
Gay Block
1975
Gelatin silver print
2022.36.88
Mother
Gay Block
1973, printed c.1998
Gelatin silver prints
2022.36.2
Mother
Gay Block
1979
Gelatin silver print
2022.36.1
Mother as Icon
Gay Block
1976, printed 2000
Gelatin silver print
2022.36.3