"Beech Tree IV"

gelatin silver print

signed, dated and titled (ink) on recto and verso

Barbara Morgan is considered a pioneer of artistic photography in the United States, particularly in the field of dance and movement photography. This photograph also has dance-like qualities. If you squint your eyes a little, you can see dancing figures in the shadows cast by the branches of the mighty red beech tree.
From 1941 onwards, Morgan lived just north of New York in the small rural town of Scarsdale. The area and the neighboring Westchester County are known for their old deciduous forests and private parks. It is therefore very likely that the tree depicted in Beech Tree IV stood in Scarsdale itself or in a nearby park (e.g., Untermyer Gardens or Rockefeller State Park).
(Christoph Fuchs)