Object number1987.53.6

Dylan Thomas in His Work Shed, Laugharne, Wales

Date1953

Artist Rosalie Thorne McKenna (American, 1918-2003)

CultureAmerican

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 7 1/16 x 5 3/8 in. (18 x 13.6 cm)
Sheet: 9 15/16 x 8 in. (25.2 x 20.3 cm)
Matted: 22 x 16 in. (55.9 x 40.6 cm)

Credit LineGift of the artist

On View

On view

Period20th c

Classification(s)

Photograph

Terms

male

InscribedOn verso, by artist, center in pencil: Dylan Thomas in his Work Shed 1953 / Laugharne; on verso, possibly by artist, upper left corner in red pencil: also 6; on verso, possibly by artist, center: #9004 C7-1; on verso, by unidentified hand, lower right corner in pencil: 84.53.6

MarkingsOn verso, stamped lower center: Photo By: / ROLLIE MCKENNA / ONE HANCOX STREET / STONINGTON, CONN. / AREA CODE 203 533-0110 / Not To Be Reproduced / Without Permission / Please Credit With Photo

ProvenanceGift of the artist

Vassar Exhibitions

Making a Life in Photography: Rollie McKenna

Label TextMcKenna was intimately aware of photography’s power to preserve the legacy of a creative person: Her photographs of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas helped to launch McKenna’s own career as a sought-after portraitist, yet they also ultimately overshadowed McKenna’s own authorship as a photographer. Her pictures of Thomas from 1952 and 1953 were among precious few images of the elusive writer, helping to preserve his legacy and memory despite an untimely death. Several of these pictures have been reproduced countless times in books and periodicals, not always giving credit to McKenna. The photographs she made while visiting Thomas and his family in Wales reveal her interest not in showing Thomas as a genius toiling away in seclusion, but rather as a man whose work as a writer was intertwined with his identity as a father, husband, and friend. McKenna’s friendship with Caitlin Thomas and their children continued after the writer’s death, resulting in a second visit to Wales in 1957.

DescriptionMan sitting with pen in hand in front of open window and looking back over his shoulder

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu