Harvard Art Museums > M23939.A-B: Backdrops Circa 1940's Prints Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Backdrops Circa 1940's (Lorna Simpson) , M23939.A-B,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 23, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/197407. This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number M23939.A-B People Lorna Simpson, American (Brooklyn, NY born 1960) Title Backdrops Circa 1940's Classification Prints Work Type print Date 1998 Culture American Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/197407 Physical Descriptions Medium Screen print on two sheets of thick white felt Technique Screen print Dimensions 66.4 × 85.2 × 0.5 cm (26 1/8 × 33 9/16 × 3/16 in.) Inscriptions and Marks inscription: verso in pencil on left and right panel: 5/35 inscription: right panel: Lorna Simpson 98 inscription: l.l left panel printed: ...seated in photographers studio, cira 1940's inscription: l.l right panel printed: ...standing while singing on film set, cira 1940's Provenance Recorded Ownership History [G. W. Einstein Company, Inc., New York, New York], sold; to Harvard University Art Museums, September 8, 1998. State, Edition, Standard Reference Number Edition 5/35 Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Margaret Fisher Fund Copyright © Lorna Simpson Accession Year 1998 Object Number M23939.A-B Division Modern and Contemporary Art Contact am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Commentary In this diptych Simpson represents a fragment of Lena Horne and a full view of an unidentified black woman. The backdrops are as telling as the figures; and this seems to carry through the intentions of Simpson's larger installations, which are often all backdrop, with figures and actions implied only through captions and titles. Exhibition History Seeing Is Believing: A History of Photography, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/04/2012 - 01/19/2013 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
