Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Untitled
1954
Scroll
Ralph Eugene Meatyard
Untitled
1954
Physical Qualities
Gelatin silver print, Image/Sheet: 126 x 243 mm. (4 15/16 x 9 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase with exchange funds from the Edward Joseph Gallagher III Memorial Collection; and partial gift of George H. Dalsheimer, Baltimore
Object Number
1988.443
Ralph Eugene Meatyard was an optometrist in Lexington, Kentucky, who pursued photography for his own pleasure. Well-read in art and literature, Meatyard forged a unique vision inspired by a range of sources, including the dreamlike compositions and unexpected juxtapositions of Surrealist art. Many of Meatyard’s enigmatic photographs deal with childhood. Carefully staging these works, he posed friends and family members in yards, alleys, and dilapidated buildings with props such as masks and dolls. The resulting photographs are haunting fragments of ambiguous, mysterious narratives.
Rena Hoisington, BMA, "Looking through the Lens: Photography 1900-1960," 16 March - 8 June 2008.
Rena Hoisington, The Academy Art Museum, "Picturing America: 1930-1960 Photographs from the Baltimore Museum of Art," July 31 - October 3, 2009.
Rena Hoisington, The Academy Art Museum, "Picturing America: 1930-1960 Photographs from the Baltimore Museum of Art," July 31 - October 3, 2009.
Inscribed: Verso: at upper left, in graphite: "NO"; at lower left, in graphite: "I8 S-26"; at lower right, in blue ink: "Madelyn O. Meatyard"
Markings: None
