A Family On Their Lawn One Sunday in Westchester, New York

Item

Title
A Family On Their Lawn One Sunday in Westchester, New York
Description
Throughout her career, photographer Diane Arbus demonstrated a gift for capturing the unusual and
eccentric in a compelling, thoughtful manner. This now-iconic photograph was originally included in a photo–essay, “Two American Families,” published in the London Sunday Times Magazine. In a letter to her editor, Arbus described encountering the woman pictured here in a bookstore: “I said I wanted to photograph her with husband and children so she suggested I wait till warm weather so I can do it around the pool! … They are a fascinating family. I think all families are creepy in a way.” Part of the caption for the image, based on Arbus’s correspondence, reads, “The parents seem to be dreaming the child and the child seems to be inventing them.
Date
1968
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Spatial Coverage
38.4 × 38.2 cm
Rights Holder
Art Institute of Chicago