Dates:
Location:
Becker Gallery
Featuring a selection of American vernacular photographs recently donated to the Museum, this exhibition explores how amateur photographers circumvented and at times unsettled assumptions about what a portrait might be.
Selected Works
![](images/snapshot-niagra-falls-400x241.jpg)
"Niagra Falls," ca. 1920, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-where-do-i-go-from-here-400x332.jpg)
""[Where Do I Go From Here?]," 1920, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-shooting-group-400x230.jpg)
"Shooting Group," ca. 1935, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-boy-tongue-out-400x279.jpg)
"Boy with Tongue Out," 1940, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-man-on-roof-400x739.jpg)
"Man on Roof," ca. 1940, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-german-siblings400x612.jpg)
"German Siblings on a Boat," ca. 1940, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-man-wanted-400x256.jpg)
"Man Wanted," ca. 1945, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-guess-what-im-doing-400x287.jpg)
"Guess What I'm Doing," ca. 1945, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/hold-up-snapshot-300x400.jpg)
"Hold Up," ca. 1950, gelatin silver print by unknown artist. Collection of Peter Cohen.
![](images/snapshot-women-car-400x712.jpg)
"Two Woman by a Car," ca. 1950, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-gesturing-man-300x454.jpg)
"Gesturing Man," 1950, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-women-car-400x712.jpg)
"Two Women by a Car," ca. 1950, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-girls-watermelon-400x231.jpg)
"Children Eating Watermelon," ca. 1950, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-woman-milking-cow-400x388.jpg)
"Woman Milking Cow," ca. 1950, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-man-hanging-beam-400x719.jpg)
"Man Swinging from a Beam," ca. 1950, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-cherry-suit-400x401.jpg)
"Jules in her Cherr Suit," ca. 1950, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-dining-couple-400x298.jpg)
"Dining Couple," ca. 1950, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
![](images/snapshot-parachuter-400x698.jpg)
"Parachuter," ca. 1960, gelatin silver print. Promised gift of Peter Cohen. Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
About
Featuring a selection of American vernacular photographs recently donated to the Museum by New York collector Peter Cohen, this exhibition explores how amateur photographers circumvented and at times unsettled assumptions about what a portrait might be. It also demonstrates how subjects established and experimented with their sense of identity through photography.