Description:
One of 15 works selected by the artist to be included in the portfolio, The Alchan Edition,1980
Label Text:
Excerpt from wall label “What Is Love: Selections from the Permanent Collection,” April 19 – June 3, 2007
Elliott Erwitt took these photographs in Corning, New York. While the subjects of both are couples, the differences of partnership presented here underscore the breadth of this term. The word hippie suggests free love and carefree living, and while the man seems to retain much of this, the woman’s expression seems more strained as she holds a crying baby. The t-shirt she wears reads “streaking team,” seemingly offering a contrast between freedom and newfound obligation resulting from the baby. This photograph seems to present a representation of a nuclear family, further undercutting the notion of free love. The Salvation Army couple further complicates the notion of couple.
While the man and woman are joined by their commitment to the organization it remains unclear whether they are further joined by a relationship or marriage. The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 and preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ while also providing a range of social services. Its quasi-military organization is reflected in the uniforms worn here. - Julie Thomson, (M.A. '07)
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=UM+1982.28.14 |
