Object number2022.29.3

Angelita, Sonoran Desert

Date1979

Artist Graciela Iturbide (Mexican, born 1942)

CultureMexican

MediumGelatin silver print; printed 2022

DimensionsImage: 8 3/4 x 12 3/8 in. (22.2 x 31.4 cm)
Sheet: 10 7/8 x 13 7/8 in. (27.6 x 35.2 cm)

Credit LinePurchase, Advisory Council for Photography

On View

Not on view

Period20th c

Classification(s)

Photograph

SignedOn recto, signed lower right margin in ink: Graciela Iturbide

InscribedOn verso, by artist, upper center in pencil: Angelita / Desierto de Sonora / 1979; by unidentified hand, upper left corner: ACP 2021 / 1G17083

ProvenancePurchased from ROSEGALLERY

Vassar Exhibitions

The Authentic Self: Photography and Portraits

Label TextIn 1978, photographer Graciela Iturbide was commissioned by the National Indigenous Institute of Mexico to document and photograph the Seri people, a Native group of the Sonoran Desert. Born to a Catholic family in Mexico City, Iturbide entered this assignment as an outsider, charged with an ethnographic mission. Over several weeks the artist developed close relationships with her subjects. As she later recalled, "I lived with them in their homes, so they would see me always with my camera and know that I am a photographer. In this way, we were able to become partners." This familiarity yielded intimate photographs that archived Seri lifeways, highlighting everyday practices and customs, like the enduring tradition of face painting displayed in Angelita, Sonoran Desert.

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