A young man and his pregnant wife in Washington Square Park, N.Y.C. 1965
About this artwork
This couple would have had to learn to live with people staring at them in the street – in the 1960s a relationship between a black man and a white woman would have been shocking. Here Arbus searches out another subject whose choices in life – and here, in love – mean that they are marginalised in society. Unlike the looks of passers-by, there is no disapproval in the way that Arbus uses her trademark direct approach to photograph this couple. In the caption Arbus identifies the young woman as ‘Pregnant Wife’ and with this extra information the viewer looks in their expressions for the anxiety they may have felt as they prepared to start a family in difficult circumstances.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Diane Arbus (1923 - 1971) American
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title:A young man and his pregnant wife in Washington Square Park, N.Y.C. 1965
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date created:1965; printed after 1971
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materials:Gelatin silver print on paper
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measurements:37.50 x 38.10 cm (framed: 61.80 x 61.80 x 1.80 cm)
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object type:
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credit line:ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and Art Fund, 2008
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accession number:AR00537
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gallery:
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus is one of the most influential photographers of the twentieth century. Born in New York City, she was working as a fashion photographer before she began to pursue an artistic career. Arbus made portraits of people from across society, but is best known for her powerful images of people...