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Seated woman, with mural "background" in rest home
Here, a woman— who might be an aide, or might be a nursing home resident— takes a moment of rest in front of a mural. Beginning in 1983, Joan Cassis started photographing elderly people in some of the Baltimore-area nursing homes in which she worked as an art therapist. She tried to capture the essence of each individual. Emphasizing the deep respect that Cassis had for her aged sitters, after the artist’s early death Cassis’ mother described her daughter’s subjects as “in the worst of circumstances but at the height of dignity.”
Untitled (woman with mural)
Seated woman, with mural "background" in rest home
Joan Cassis (American, 1952–1996)
1985
Medium/Technique
Photograph, gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Sheet: 27.9 x 35.6 cm (11 x 14 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Victoria Cassis
Accession Number2005.407
CollectionsContemporary Art, Americas, Photography
ClassificationsPhotographs
Here, a woman— who might be an aide, or might be a nursing home resident— takes a moment of rest in front of a mural. Beginning in 1983, Joan Cassis started photographing elderly people in some of the Baltimore-area nursing homes in which she worked as an art therapist. She tried to capture the essence of each individual. Emphasizing the deep respect that Cassis had for her aged sitters, after the artist’s early death Cassis’ mother described her daughter’s subjects as “in the worst of circumstances but at the height of dignity.”