Artist
W. Eugene Smith(American, 1918–1978)American, 1918–1978
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Nurse Midwife Maude Callen (Feeding a Young Girl Soup)
Date1951
PlaceUnited States
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 10 1/2 × 13 1/2 in. (26.7 × 34.3 cm)
Sheet: 10 15/16 × 13 15/16 in. (27.8 × 35.4 cm)
Sheet: 10 15/16 × 13 15/16 in. (27.8 × 35.4 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Mundy Companies
Object number99.84
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
nurse-midwife, through her rounds in rural South Carolina. Callen helped women
deliver babies and attended to the general ailments of an impoverished and
desperately underserved population. Following World War II, Smith produced four
immensely influential photographic essays for Life magazine, including Nurse
Midwife. With the essay, Smith remarked that he wanted to “make a very
strong point about racism, by simply showing a remarkable woman doing a
remarkable job in an impossible situation.”
Provenance[Charles Schwartz Ltd., New York]; purchased by MFAH, 1999.
Exhibition HistoryEXCOLLECTION: Juanita Smith, daughter of the artist.
"W. Eugene Smith and James Nachtwey," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 14 October 2012 - 1 January 2013.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed in pencil, verso, upper right: C54709
Inscribed in pencil, verso, lower right: B-C
Inscribed in pencil, verso, lower right: B-C
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
W. Eugene Smith
1945
Gelatin silver print
2002.2298
W. Eugene Smith
1948, printed later
Gelatin silver print
2001.241
