Diane Arbus
A family on their lawn one Sunday in Westchester, N.Y.

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Artist Diane Arbus (American, 1923–1971)American, 1923–1971

CultureAmerican

Titles

A family on their lawn one Sunday in Westchester, N.Y.
A family on the lawn one sunday in Westchester in June 1968.
from the portfolio A box of ten photographs

Date1968, printed later

Place depictedNew York, United States

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 15 1/8 × 15 1/8 in. (38.4 × 38.4 cm)
Sheet: 19 7/8 × 15 7/8 in. (50.5 × 40.3 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Gay Block in memory of Eric Alexander, by exchange

Object number2004.1524

Not on view

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Department

Photography

Object Type

PHOTOGRAPHS

DescriptionDrawn
to her bright blonde hair and enormous eyelashes, Diane Arbus first met Mrs.
Tarnopol by chance in a bookstore. Following a brief conversation, Mrs.
Tarnopol invited Arbus to photograph her family at their home in suburban Westchester,
New York. Far from the classically posed family portrait, this surreal image of
upper-middle-class suburban life features Mrs. and Mr. Tarnopol casually
lounging in their backyard, seemingly—if not purposefully—oblivious to their
son Paul playing behind them. Writing about the experience later, Arbus proclaimed,
“They are a fascinating family. I think all families are creepy in a way.”
ProvenanceEstate of the artist; [consigned to Witkin Gallery, New York]; [purchased by Harry Lunn, 1972]; [purchased by Jo Tartt, Washington, D.C., late 1970s]; purchased by Gay Block, Houston, 1986; purchased by MFAH, 2004.
Exhibition History"Acquisitions of the Last Five Years: Selections of Modern and Contemporary Art," Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, July 15–October 15, 2005.

"Always Greener: Seeing and Seeking Suburbia—Selections from the Museum’s Collection," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, August 21, 2018–February 3, 2019.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Printed back label with ink, verso upper right: title ... // date... // print by Neil Selkirk, 1973
Stamped on verso upper left: Not to be reproduced in any way without // written permission from Doon Arbus
Stamped on verso upper center: This print is part of a limited edition portfolio of // ten Diane Arbus photographs. 8/50

Marked in ink on the back label: Doon Arbus

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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