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Spotted Towhee

A work made of dye imbibition print.
© 1990, Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, Bequest of the artist.

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  • A work made of dye imbibition print.

Date:

1941/64

Artist:

Eliot Porter
American, 1901–1990

About this artwork

An avid nature photographer, Eliot Porter helped to pioneer technologies of color printing and fought to have color photography recognized as art. He trained as a biochemical researcher, but quit his medical career to pursue photography full–time in the 1940s, publishing numerous books and portfolios in partnership with the Sierra Club. For Porter birds embodied the very best of nature’s promise, especially for a photographer. “The camera is an instrument for immediate results, ” he wrote, “and by focusing my attention on the subject it offers a way of sublimating the indefinable longing that is aroused in me by close association with birds.” In 1979 the Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted an exhibition, Intimate Landscapes, to Porter’s work—the museum’s first solo show devoted to color photography.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Eliot Porter

Title

Spotted Towhee

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1941–1964

Medium

Dye imbibition print

Dimensions

Image/paper: 27.5 × 21.6 cm (10 7/8 × 8 9/16 in.); Mount: 45.7 × 35.5 cm (18 × 14 in.)

Credit Line

Purchased with funds provided by Mrs. Mary Morris Diamond

Reference Number

1964.131

Copyright

© 1990, Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, Bequest of the artist.

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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