Exhibition

Further introductory reading on the cited academic theorists can be found on the “Theoretical Grounds” page.  

1. Similarity

Carrie Mae Weems  
American, b. 1953 
Untitled (Make-up with Daughter), from the Kitchen Table Series
1990 
Gelatin silver print 
Purchased through the Harry Shafer Fisher 1966 Memorial Fund; PH.991.46

This photograph shows a mother and her young daughter applying lipstick while sitting at the kitchen table together with their respective mirrors. With their near-identical posture, down to the slight tilt of the head and the way they hold their lipstick, the daughter is a miniature version of her mother. Gloria Joseph and Jill Lewis “argue, as others have, that the current feminist fear of ‘becoming like your mother’ is a particularly white and middle-class phenomenon and cannot simply be extended to the black female population.” How might race impact familial relationships? Moreover, the nonchalant way both mother and daughter apply makeup suggests this activity is routine for them—a dutiful performance of femininity that even the young girl has internalized.  

2. Strength — Resilience

Donna Ferrato  
American, b. 1949  
Women’s Advocates in St. Paul, Minnesota 
1986 
Archival pigment print
Gift of Margaret E. and Russell A. Rabito; 2014.105.13 

The photograph depicts two children and their mother at a women’s shelter for those affected by domestic violence. In the background, the mother holds her younger child while both girls hold up a portrait of their family that includes a father who is not present. The younger child seems uninterested in what she is holding, looking away. The older daughter has a stern, somewhat resolute expression. She stands straight, at the forefront of the frame, and looks into the camera lens. The older daughter’s position in the foreground gives her a physical presence that shows strength and could be interpreted as determination to support her mother during this challenging time. This could be more than just love: as Adrienne Rich puts it, the shared “femaleness,” a form of similarity, leads mothers and daughters to exchange knowledge and support of female survival.³ Both girls do not seem particularly affected by their missing father figure, either in the photo or in the gap between them that could be filled with another person.

3. Strain — Disconnect

Walker Evans 
American, 1903-1975 
Subway Passengers, New York City (Mother and Child) 
Negative April 28, 1938; print about 1938 
Gelatin silver print 
Purchased through the Florence and Lansing Porter Moore 1937 Fund; 2013.53 

A mother and a daughter, similar in formal attire, countenance, and upright posture, sit side-by-side in a New York City subway. Each looks at different unspecified points with blank facial expressions, as if lost in their respective thoughts. Despite their physical proximity, the mother’s head is turned away from her daughter, emphasizing their lack of interaction. The mother-daughter pair portrayed in this photo seem to be invisible to one another. Though neither of their expressions look particularly positive or negative, in this moment, we can see elements of strain, disconnect, and emotional distance that can be found between mothers and daughters despite their proximity and similarities

4. Strength & Strain   

Donna Ferrato  
American, b. 1949  
Vikki with her mother Carol and her brother Dereck at the Greater Pittsburgh Shelter 
1986 
Archival pigment print 
Gift of Margaret E. and Russell A. Rabito; 2014.105.11 

A mother is seated between her two children: her son, smiling and resting his hand on her arm on the right, and her young daughter, deaf and mute, who grasps her arm with both hands as if needing her for support. The mother, smiling weakly, and her son, look into the camera, while the daughter looks down. The mother endured years of her boyfriend’s abuse. He even tracked her down by tricking her children into sharing her address and beat her when she tried to escape.

This photograph shows a type of strain.Here, a worn-down, traumatized mother-daughter relationship, elicits complex emotions like guilt, fear, and resentment: we do not know the complex emotions the daughter is experiencing, including possibly blaming herself for what happened to her mother. As viewers we sense that her sense of security is threatened.This could be an example of the lack of differentiation, an extreme version of similarity, Jane Flax claims threatens women’s individual identities and leads to resentment tainting their bond: daughters may feel doomed to become their mothers or may be unable to imagine themselves independent from them. At the same time, the photograph could also be interpreted as showing strength in their relationship—the daughter may feel more sympathy and compassion for her mother, and that emotional support may fortify their bond. Their similarities are a source of both strength and strain.

Continue to “Conclusion“…