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Untitled, from the series "The Age of Adolescence"

A work made of gelatin silver print.

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  • A work made of gelatin silver print.

Date:

c. 1959

Artist:

Joseph Sterling
American, 1936–2010

About this artwork

Joseph Sterling documented the lives of Chicago’s working-class teenagers between 1959 and 1964, while a student at the Institute of Design under Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind. Not far out of adolescence himself, Sterling would roam the parks, beaches, and streets alongside his subjects, gaining intimate access that resulted in images, like this one, of proximity undercut by rebellious distance. In 1962 Sterling submitted his account of American youth culture as his thesis, The Adolescent Comedy. Before the project was finished, Hugh Edwards included it in a 1961 group exhibition, Four Young Photographers from Chicago. The same year, this image was published on the cover of Aperture magazine and entered the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Joseph Sterling

Title

Untitled, from the series "The Age of Adolescence"

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 1954–1964

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image/paper: 19.1 × 17.8 cm (7 9/16 × 7 1/16 in.); Mount: 32.9 × 28 cm (13 × 11 1/16 in.)

Credit Line

Anonymous gift

Reference Number

1961.415

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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