The Daydream

Original Language TitleEl Ensueño

Artist Manuel Álvarez Bravo (Mexican, 1902 - 2002)

Date1931; printed 1976

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsImage: 9 5/8 × 7 1/4 inches (24.45 × 18.42 cm)
Sheet: 9 15/16 × 7 7/8 inches (25.24 × 20 cm)

Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Object number2005.27.2579

Signednone

InscribedTitled on sheet verso, bottom, in pencil: "El Ensueño"

MarkingsOn sheet verso, center, in red pencil: "62 [up arrow]"; On sheet verso, center, in pencil: "74%"; On sheet verso, lower left, in pencil: "18x22 / 16x20 [crossed out] vertical"; On sheet verso, lower right, in pencil: "R30 [circled] / 156".

On View

Not on view

Collections

Photography

Terms

Exhibition History

Photograph printed for exhibition at Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 1976.

Masters of 20th-Century Photography from the Hallmark Collection. Waterloo Municipal Galleries, Waterloo, IA, May 2 - June 13, 1982, no cat.

The Hallmark Photographic Collection. Krannert Graduate School of Management, Purdue University, August 16 - October 25, 1982, no cat.

New Acquisitions to the Hallmark Photographic Collection, 1980-1983. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, April 1 – May 1, 1983, unnunmbered.

20th-Century Works from the Hallmark Photographic Collection. Cottey College, Nevada, MO, January 9 – January 27, 1984, no cat.

Faces: an Exhibition from the Hallmark Photographic Collection. Whatcom Museum of History & Art, Bellingham WA, September 15 - November 14, 1983, no cat.

Faces: an Exhibition from the Hallmark Photographic Collection. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, Kansas City, MO, September 16 – October 21, 1984, no. 90.

Faces: an Exhibition from the Hallmark Photographic Collection. Museum of Photographic Arts, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA, June 18 - August 25, 1985, no. 109.

Twentieth Century Masters of Photography, 1900-1985. Center for the Arts, Vero Beach, FL, March 28 – May 2, 1986, Albany Museum of Art, Albany, Georgia, May 25 – June 22, 1986, Asheville Museum of Art, Asheville, NC, August 10 – September 21, 1986, Columbus Museum of Arts and Science, Columbus, GA, October 19 – November 30, 1986, Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University, Murray, KY, January 4 - February 15, 1987, Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts, Roanoke, VA, March 15 - April 26, 1987, St. Louis Artists’ Guild, May 24 - July 5, 1987, Birmingham Museum of Art, July 26 - September 6, 1987, unnumbered.

Master Works 1900-1960. Light Factory, Charlotte, NC, September 8 - October 9, 1992, no cat.

Selections from the Hallmark Photographic Collection. Highland Community College, Highland, Kansas, October 19 - November 11, 1993, no cat.

Treasures of Mexico in Kansas City. The Consulate of Mexico, Kansas City, MO, April 16 - July 9, 2012, no cat.

Rotation 24. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, June 9 – November 12, 2017, no cat.

Gallery Label

The Daydream depicts a young woman gazing down from a balcony. Seemingly lost in thought, she appears unaware of the photographer and his camera. Here, the atmosphere of the photograph is emphasized by its variation in tone. Álvarez- Bravo’s purposefully dark printing technique causes the figure to recede in space, suggesting the girl occupies another realm.

Provenance

Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York, NY;
Purchased from Edwynn Houk Gallery by Hallmark Cards, Inc., , Kansas City, MO, 1981;
Given by Hallmark Cards, Inc. to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2005.

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