Untitled [Ref. #56] 2006

Myra Greene made this small photographic print using the 19th-century process known as tintype, a technique embraced by itinerant photographers who served a broad public eager to possess a likeness of themselves. Greene’s work reflects on the historical representation of African Americans in photography, with a particular emphasis on challenging the legacies of slavery and racial discrimination. She draws on the work of scholars who have excavated how early photography was implicated in the construction of racial stereotypes. By employing the tintype process, Greene connects her images to a history of photographic representation that has often marginalized or misrepresented Black individuals. But rather than producing a full likeness, this image isolates the sitter's nose and mouth, inviting viewers to confront the ways in which specific features have been used to define and often dehumanize people of color. Through this image, Greene encourages a critical examination of the cultural codes embedded in photographic portraiture. Studying photographic history and critical race theory will help us understand the artist's wider aims.