The Grey Fence
Photograph
The Grey Fence
1972–1973
Gum bichromate on fabric with stitching
Image: 8 11/16 × 12 13/16 in. (22 × 32.5 cm)
Overall: 16 × 19 15/16 × 3/16 in. (40.7 × 50.7 × 0.4 cm)
Purchase
1973.0044.0001
Inscriptions Signed, titled, and dated in pencil on verso, BL: The Grey Fence 1972-73 \ Betty Hahn
Inscribed in pencil on verso, BR: Gum bichromate on cotton w/stitching
Inscribed in pencil on verso, BR: Gum bichromate on cotton w/stitching
TextBetty Hahn emphasizes the materiality of her work by applying gum bichromate onto fabric by hand and stitching on the image surface. These processes bring attention to the photograph being an object as much as it is an image. Hahn’s use of stitching also refers to textiles and crafts, which historically have not been recognized as fine arts but instead as women’s domestic duties or hobbies. Hahn created this work while living in Rochester and teaching at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
