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[Refracted Window: Vortograph]

Alvin Langdon Coburn British, born United States
1916–17
Not on view
Alvin Langdon Coburn first gained recognition for his portraits of British men of letters, but his lasting contribution to modern art was the "Vortograph," the first intentionally abstract photograph. While working in London with Ezra Pound, Coburn attached to his lens three mirrors that fractured the camera image into a pattern of nonrepresentational planes, as does a kaleidoscope. This photograph shows a studio skylight refracted by mirrors.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: [Refracted Window: Vortograph]
  • Artist: Alvin Langdon Coburn (British, Boston, Massachusetts 1882–1966 Wales)
  • Date: 1916–17
  • Medium: Gelatin silver print
  • Dimensions: 28.1 x 20.0 cm. (11 1/16 x 7 7/8 in.)
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Gift of Silas R. Mountsier III, 1986
  • Object Number: 1986.1008.3
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

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