Magnolia Blossom
| Artist | Imogen Cunningham (American, 1883–1976) |
|---|---|
| Title | Magnolia Blossom |
| Date | 1925 |
| Medium | Gelatin silver print |
| Dimensions | Image: 9 7/8 × 12 1/2 in. (25.1 × 31.8 cm) Sheet: 9 7/8 × 12 1/2 in. (25.1 × 31.8 cm) Mount: 15 × 20 in. (38.1 × 50.8 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 86.43.1 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
This image is a close-up view of a magnolia flower. The flower has stamen that curl into small scrolls at the center.
While a college student studying chemistry at the University of Washington, Imogen Cunningham worked as an assistant to the portrait photographer Edward S. Curtis. Although her earlier work reflected Curtis's pictorialist aesthetic, a move to northern California in 1917 shifted Cunningham's focus to a new modernist style. Her sensual, up-close view of a flower blossom reflects the influence of Group f/64 photographers Edward Weston and Ansel Adams and suggests the flower paintings of her contemporary Georgia O'Keeffe, although Cunningham claimed no knowledge of O'Keeffe's work at the time.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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Cite this page
"Magnolia Blossom | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=86.43.1