Annette Rose, St. Gabriel, Louisiana 25 - 1999

Deborah Luster made this portrait of Annette Rose in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, using a photographic process called tintype. This method, popular in the 19th century, involves creating a direct positive image on a thin sheet of metal. The result here is a unique and subtly textured image, with a warm, almost antique quality. But don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s simply a historical exercise. Luster is very interested in how a sense of immediacy can be achieved through this process. Tintype’s immediacy also suggests a sense of truth. This is important because the subjects of Luster’s photographs are often people who have been marginalized or forgotten. In this case, Rose is pictured against the backdrop of a field, perhaps suggesting the realities of labor and class, and raising important questions about who gets represented, and how, in the visual record. Luster invites us to consider the intersection of craft, design, and materiality, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.