Wynn Bullock
Child in Forest, 1951
Vintage Silver Gelatin
7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in
Further images
Signed and dated in pencil mount recto; inscribed 'To Don, Happy 10th Birthday, Wynn' and Mar Vista stamp mount verso. Judging from the mount board and apparent lack of fluorescence,...
Signed and dated in pencil mount recto; inscribed "To Don, Happy 10th Birthday, Wynn" and Mar Vista stamp mount verso. Judging from the mount board and apparent lack of fluorescence, this print was likely made in the 1950s. No other print of this image bears the deep shadows and glowing highlights exemplified by this print. While it's generally true that ink signatures were used prior to 1970, some early prints have pencil signatures. This particular composition is a rare alternative to the version most frequently reproduced; this image was made after Wynn tore off one of the fern leaves by Barbara's feet and placed it at her head. Thus, there are only two leaves on the log instead of the original three. No other print of this image I've seen has the tonal virtuosity that this one does—the shadows are deep and Barbara's figure is luminescent. In fact, her body appears to glow when the print isn't in direct light. The importance of the image, along with the numerous institutions that hold prints of it, need not be elucidated here. It is the cover of Wynn's most important publication, "The Enchanted Landscape". This print does not appear to fluoresce under UV light.
Courtesy of Seagrave Gallery, Inc