Ralph Ellison: Photographer
Throughout his life, photography played multiple roles for Ellison: a hobby, a source of income, a note-taking tool and an artistic outlet. During his formative years in New York City in the 1940s, he keenly photographed his surroundings—at times alongside fellow photographer Gordon Parks—with many images serving as field notes for his writing. In the last decades of his life, as he grappled with his much-anticipated second novel, Ellison turned inward, and he studied his private universe at home with a Polaroid camera. At all times his photography reveals an artist steeped in modernist thinking who embraced experimentation to interpret the world around him, particularly Black life in America. In a 1956 letter to fellow writer Albert Murray, Ellison underscored photography’s importance to his creative process: "You know me, I have to have something between me and reality when I’m dealing with it most intensely." Accompanying the photographs in this book are several essays situating Ellison’s work within his broader career as a writer, as well an excerpt from his 1977 essay "The Little Man at Chehaw Station: The American Artist and His Audience."
SPECIFICATIONS
SHIPPING
Orders shipped within the United States are shipped via FedEx Ground and can take as long as 15 days to arrive. Orders ship Monday-Friday. Orders shipped outside the United States are shipped FedEx International Economy, which generally takes 7-15 days to arrive, depending on customs.
We are unable to ship to PO Boxes. All addresses must have a person available to sign for the package.
In the event of a missing package, please track the order with FedEx and contact a customer service representative at shop@whitney.org. An investigation will be opened and actions will be taken once the investigation has been closed.
All shipping charges are calculated by the weight and destination of the item. The shipping cost for your order will be figured when you check out. Shipping charges do not include duties, taxes or brokerage fees that may be applied to orders shipped outside of the U.S. These fees are the responsibility of the recipient of the order.
Memberships are processed and distributed by the Membership Department. Please contact the Membership department at (212) 570-3641 or memberinfo@whitney.org with questions concerning your membership.
RETURNS
If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you may return the merchandise for exchange or credit card refund within two weeks of delivery. Please contact our customer service representative at shop@whitney.org with any questions about returning or exchanging merchandise. Shipping charges are not reimbursed for returned items unless items were damaged or imperfect upon receipt. Drop shipped items are not able to be returned or exchanged, with the exception of damaged items.
Merchandise marked as a sale item is non-returnable.
Whitney Museum Shop Returns
99 Gansevoort Street
New York, NY 10014
Choose options