Pocket Guide -> Media -> Gelatin silver print -> Butterfly Boy, New York
Butterfly Boy, New York
by Jerome Liebling · American, born 1924
| Creation Date: | 1949 |
| Media & Support: | Gelatin silver print |
| Dimensions: | 9 5/8 x 9 ½ inches |
| Credit: | Photo League Collection, Museum Purchase with funds provided by Elizabeth M. Ross, the Derby Fund, John S. and Catherine Chapin Kobacker, and the Friends of the Photo League |
Jerome Liebling, a distinguished photographer and teacher, made this picture in 1949, two years after he joined the Photo League. The stance of the little boy marks the center of the picture, his sharp gaze is directed precisely at the viewer, and his outstretched arms afford him a grand presence on his stretch of urban sidewalk. The details of his clothing—oversized shirt, mismatched and mislaced shoes, summer shorts with a winter coat—contradict but do not undermine his confidence. The open coat, a familiar gesture of childhood, signals both vulnerability and fantasy, as does the title. He is anonymous but unforgettable.
