The Enigma
Date1941
Artist
Clarence John Laughlin
(American photographer, 1905–1985)
MediumGelatin silver print
Dimensionsimage: 13 5/8 × 10 3/4 in. (34.6 × 27.3 cm)
sheet: 13 7/8 in. (35.2 cm)
sheet: 13 7/8 in. (35.2 cm)
Credit LineSpecial Purchase Fund, 1979
Object number1979-63
On View
Not on viewClassificationsPHOTOGRAPH
Label TextWorking from 1939 through 1953, Laughlin produced more than 2,000 negatives of 19th-century plantation houses. The photographer's goal was to outline the evolution of Louisiana plantation architecture, but his photographs accomplish far more than this. Laughlin's pictures evoke a sense of mystery and decay that betrays his appreciation of "the tragic and poetic beauty" of the buildings, which were disappearing due to neglect when he photographed them.
Clarence Reader
not dated
