David Lackey
Verdigris

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Artist David Lackey (American, born 1956)American, born 1956

CultureAmerican

Titles

Verdigris

Date2014

MediumAmbrotype over tintype in thermoplastic union case

DimensionsOverall: 3 3/4 × 3 3/8 × 15/16 in. (9.5 × 8.6 × 2.4 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Clinton T. Willour and Reid Mitchell in honor of Devin Borden

Object number2017.281

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionHoustonian
David Lackey exploits the opacity and transparency of a 19th-century ambrotype
to create a multilayered, dreamlike composite. Ambrotypes are essentially
glass-plate negatives that appear as positive images when laid against a black
backing. But instead of using a solid black background, Lackey placed this
ambrotype of a young man over a second, close-up portrait. The result suggests
one image dreaming of the other.
ProvenanceThe artist, Houston; [Devin Borden Gallery, Houston]; purchased by MFAH, 2017.
Exhibition History"40 Years of Discovery: Gifts of Clint Willour," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, June 9–October 14, 2018.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Inscribed in black, applied label, case edge: "VERDIGRIS" DAVID LACKEY 2014

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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