Self-Portrait
1964/1969
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 20 x 13 cm (7 7/8 x 5 1/8 in.) mount: 35.6 x 27.9 cm (14 x 11 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.22.90
Art Historical Context
Lee Friedlander's *Self-Portrait* (4/1969) is a striking example of the artist's innovative approach to photography during the vibrant 1960s American scene. Printed as a gelatin silver print—a classic black-and-white medium prized for its rich tonal gradations and fine detail—this intimate image measures just 20 x 13 cm, inviting close contemplation. Friedlander, a key figure in street photography alongside contemporaries like Garry Winogrand and Diane Arbus, often turned the camera on himself to explore themes of identity and perception. Renowned for his "social landscape" style, Friedlander...
About the Artist
Lee Friedlander
Lee Friedlander, born on July 14, 1934, in Aberdeen, Washington, to a Finnish-descended mother, Kaari Nurmi, and German-Jewish émigré father, Fritz Friedlander, discovered photography at age 14 amid a fascination with the medium's equipment. Tragedy marked his childhood when his mother died of cancer at age seven, yet he pursued his passion, earning pocket money with a camera before studying under...