Self-Portrait with Wig Display
Owens is best known for his wry documentation of the lives of white middle-class Americans in the suburbs of northern California, which were collected in his classic photo-book, Suburbia (1973). While he was working on the Suburbia project, Owens made this self-portrait in a wig shop mirror. Surrounded by hair pieces designed to enhance or disguise one’s appearance, the well-coiffed photographer appears with his camera in the center of the frame, hidden in plain sight, enacting an engaging play of reality and appearance, authenticity and masquerade.
Artwork Details
- Title: Self-Portrait with Wig Display
- Artist: Bill Owens (American, born 1938)
- Date: 1970–73
- Medium: Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions: Image: 6 5/16 × 8 7/16 in. (16 × 21.5 cm)
Sheet: 7 15/16 × 9 15/16 in. (20.2 × 25.3 cm) - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Purchase, Joyce F. Menschel Gift , 2023
- Object Number: 2023.278
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Bill Owens
1968–72
Man Ray
1920
Man Ray
1923
Gordon H. Coster
ca. 1935
Peter Hujar
1966
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.