Artist
Wynn Richards (American, 1888–1960)American, 1888–1960
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Floor and Sunlight
Datec. 1918
PlaceChicago, Illinois, United States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 6 1/16 × 8 1/16 in. (15.4 × 20.5 cm)
Sheet: 6 1/16 × 8 1/16 in. (15.4 × 20.5 cm)
Sheet: 6 1/16 × 8 1/16 in. (15.4 × 20.5 cm)
Credit LineThe Allan Chasanoff Photographic Collection
Object number91.1033
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographySpecial Collections
Object Type
Richards’s photographic career spanned the beginning of the 20th century and
embraced the different styles of that era. She first worked in a Pictorialist
style, characterized by a painterly aesthetic and hand-worked negatives and
prints, but she soon embraced a modern style of photography that favored
unmediated photographs and the abstract effects of light, shadow, form, and
line. A transitional work in Richards’s career, Floor and Sunlight contains
elements of both stylistic approaches. The old-fashioned interior and soft,
natural light exhibits Pictorialism’s idyllic style, while the strong linear
emphasis and unusual camera angle adds a modern flair.
ProvenanceAllan Chasanoff, New York; given to MFAH, 1991.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed in pencil, verso, lower left: PF 5277 [vertical]
Inscribed in pencil, verso, lower center: Wynn Richards
Inscribed in pencil, verso, lower center: Wynn Richards
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
Eugene Richards
2008
Gelatin silver print
2023.695