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Woman's Work
There are few things as universal as a mother's love. Depictions of mothers and children are found in nearly every culture, and can be found far into history. There is something in that connection which unites us all.
"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." ~Rajneesh
"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his." ~Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895
"Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother's love is not." ~James Joyce
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Harvest
Artist: Ruth Bernhard
Date: 1953
Medium: Photographs, Photograph
Size: 10 5/16 x 11 7/16 in. (26.19 x 29.05 cm) (sheet)15 15/16 x 19 15/16 in. (40.48 x 50.64 cm) (mount)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 2003.17.6
This image suggests bounty, both throught the shimmering wheat and the round belly. The photograph is evocative of fertility, comfort, warmth and joy.
<div class="unzoomed_thumbnail" style="width:140px; height:120px;"><img class="inline_img fake_1.10546875" id="zoomer_96174_46303iip_loading" src="http://www.artsconnected.org/media/72/c1/8b03e223801e471107cd9408d30d/140/120/96174.jpg" class="iip_loading" title="" alt="Harvest, Ruth Bernhard" height_offset="0" /></div>
Garbage Picker, Acapulco, Mexico
Artist: David Parker
Date: 1996
Medium: Photographs, Photograph
Size: 17 13/16 x 12 1/16 in. (45.24 x 30.64 cm) (image)19 7/8 x 16 in. (50.48 x 40.64 cm) (sheet)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 99.234.18
This image evokes different feelings, though the young woman has a smile on her face, we know her pregnancy likely hasn't been as easy as the one we see evidence of in "Harvest."
<div class="unzoomed_thumbnail" style="width:140px; height:120px;"><img class="inline_img fake_0.674479166667" id="zoomer_92202_341iip_loading" src="http://www.artsconnected.org/media/59/e7/f640045f9cf22bb97090b1ad93b9/140/120/92202.jpg" class="iip_loading" title="" alt="Garbage Picker, Acapulco, Mexico, David Parker" height_offset="0" /></div>
Nurse Midwife (Maude Callen), Birth of Baby, South Carolina
Artist: W. Eugene Smith
Date: 1951
Medium: Photographs, Photograph
Size: 13 7/16 x 10 1/4 in. (34.13 x 26.04 cm) (image)20 x 15 15/16 in. (50.8 x 40.48 cm) (mount)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 96.110
Here, we see the function of the mother: producing a child and the work of the midwife, but as the baby is born the woman's identity changes. It is one which is inextricably linked with her role as mother.
<div class="unzoomed_thumbnail" style="width:140px; height:120px;"><img class="inline_img fake_0.764322916667" id="zoomer_71758_8297iip_loading" src="http://www.artsconnected.org/media/3b/03/8b845db3bbbd39620052224fc158/140/120/71758.jpg" class="iip_loading" title="" alt="Nurse Midwife (Maude Callen), Birth of Baby, South Carolina, W. Eugene Smith" height_offset="0" /></div>
Dawn & Sunset
Artist: Henry Peach Robinson
Date: 1885
Medium: Photographs, Photograph
Size: 5 1/8 x 7 3/16 in. (13.02 x 18.26 cm) (image)11 1/8 x 14 7/8 in. (28.26 x 37.78 cm) (mount)14 7/8 x 18 7/8 x 1 1/2 in. (37.78 x 47.94 x 3.81 cm) (outer frame)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 2000.52.2.3
This image captures an infant, a mother and an older gentleman sitting by a hearth. My eyes focus on the mother-infant pair and the gentleman's stoop frames the scene.
<div class="unzoomed_thumbnail" style="width:140px; height:112.116788321px;"><img class="inline_img fake_1.24869791667" id="zoomer_88979_35529iip_loading" src="http://www.artsconnected.org/media/92/4a/dd2e0085989ef85faa43d4e0f9ba/140/120/88979.jpg" class="iip_loading" title="" alt="Dawn & Sunset, Henry Peach Robinson" height_offset="0" /></div>
Assiniboin Mother and Child
Artist: Edward S. Curtis
Date: 1926
Medium: Photographs, Photograph
Size: 11 5/8 x 15 5/8 in. (29.53 x 39.69 cm) (image)17 7/8 x 21 7/8 in. (45.4 x 55.56 cm) (sheet)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 87.60.17
A beautiful image of a mother and her child in a traditional baby carrier. The sepia tones of the photograph enhance the fond feelings the viewer may have toward the pair.
<div class="unzoomed_thumbnail" style="width:140px; height:104.58984375px;"><img class="inline_img fake_1.3385620915" id="zoomer_69952_61854iip_loading" src="http://www.artsconnected.org/media/8b/d1/992231fb138f666f7e018113a70a/140/120/69952.jpg" class="iip_loading" title="" alt="Assiniboin Mother and Child, Edward S. Curtis" height_offset="0" /></div>
Motherhood
Artist: Robert Sterl
Date: 1903
Medium: Prints, Print
Size: 7 1/4 x 14 in. (18.42 x 35.56 cm) (image)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: P.400
A mother gazes down at her infant in a pastoral, idyllic setting.
<div class="unzoomed_thumbnail" style="width:140px; height:79.296875px;"><img class="inline_img fake_1.76551724138" id="zoomer_94201_34583iip_loading" src="http://www.artsconnected.org/media/28/dc/519b31f8a948ed4b30da48d734d7/140/120/94201.jpg" class="iip_loading" title="" alt="Motherhood, Robert Sterl" height_offset="0" /></div>
Untitled
Artist: Lewis W. Hine
Date: 1908
Medium: Photographs, Photograph
Size: 4 11/16 x 6 5/8 in. (11.91 x 16.83 cm) (image)4 3/4 x 6 15/16 in. (12.07 x 17.62 cm) (sheet)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 74.39.30
We can sense a strong family bond even as we observe the destitution that the image conveys.
<div class="unzoomed_thumbnail" style="width:140px; height:98.4375px;"><img class="inline_img fake_1.42222222222" id="zoomer_91093_35705iip_loading" src="http://www.artsconnected.org/media/f3/f4/979ee5c91d0a26663d3b404de5de/140/120/91093.jpg" class="iip_loading" title="" alt="Untitled, Lewis W. Hine" height_offset="0" /></div>
The Sublime Lucy
Artist: Joan Moss
Date: 1986
Medium: Photographs, Photograph
Size: 11 1/16 x 16 5/8 in. (28.1 x 42.23 cm) (image)15 15/16 x 20 in. (40.48 x 50.8 cm) (sheet)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 2002.182.2
The attachment between the pair is evident, as if they are the only two in the world.
<div class="unzoomed_thumbnail" style="width:140px; height:93.10546875px;"><img class="inline_img fake_1.50367107195" id="zoomer_106967_26790iip_loading" src="http://www.artsconnected.org/media/90/d3/9b9f7f4283498ad5481eea69a5b9/140/120/106967.jpg" class="iip_loading" title="" alt="The Sublime Lucy, Joan Moss" height_offset="0" /></div>
Subway Portrait
Artist: Walker Evans
Date: 1938-1941
Medium: Photographs, Photograph
Size: 5 x 7 9/16 in. (12.7 x 19.21 cm) (image)7 5/8 x 9 1/2 in. (19.37 x 24.13 cm) (sheet)14 7/8 x 18 7/8 x 1 1/2 in. (37.78 x 47.94 x 3.81 cm) (outer frame)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 75.25.13
A sense of home and safety even in the busy, bustling city. The mother is her child's haven.
<div class="unzoomed_thumbnail" style="width:140px; height:92.96875px;"><img class="inline_img fake_1.50588235294" id="zoomer_103091_58168iip_loading" src="http://www.artsconnected.org/media/38/63/5215fb7121ea4067c504307453db/140/120/103091.jpg" class="iip_loading" title="" alt="Subway Portrait, Walker Evans" height_offset="0" /></div>
Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California
Artist: Dorothea Lange
Date: 1936
Medium: Photographs, Photograph
Size: 13 5/16 x 10 5/16 in. (33.81 x 26.19 cm) (image)13 7/8 x 11 in. (35.24 x 27.94 cm) (mount)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 92.136
In this classic, Great Depression era image, children cling to their mother. It seems that a collection of images representing motherhood might be incomplete without a nod to photographer Dorthea Lange's iconic depiction of modern motherhood.
<div class="unzoomed_thumbnail" style="width:140px; height:120px;"><img class="inline_img fake_0.770833333333" id="zoomer_68979_15521iip_loading" src="http://www.artsconnected.org/media/23/27/3931bbeb8badb611ff0bb5b4b8f9/140/120/68979.jpg" class="iip_loading" title="" alt="Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, Dorothea Lange" height_offset="0" /></div>
