The Airing
Arnold Genthe
American, born Germany. 1869–1942
1896-1906
A gelatin silver print photograph showing an older man and three children leaning over a low ledge, made to capture a spontaneous, intimate street moment of everyday life.
What hits you first is the quiet intimacy—the elder’s lined face between the children’s curious expressions and the soft, directional light that sculpts skin, cloth, and the rough surface they lean on into a warm, tactile scene.
Made around the turn of the twentieth century, Genthe’s candid street portrait helped assert photography’s role in documenting ordinary lives and influenced the development of documentary and urban portraiture.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
9 1/4 × 12 1/2" (23.5 × 31.8 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Albert M. Bender
Accession
88.1940
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
