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The Anointed 1898, from the portfolio In a Dream You Saw a Way to Survive and You Were Full of Joy

Artist/Maker (American, b. 1952)
Artist/Maker (American, b. 1958)
Date1991
MediumPalladium print
DimensionsOverall: 13 9/16 × 10 1/2 in. (34.4 × 26.7 cm)
Credit LineHorace W. Goldsmith Foundation Photography Fund
Edition12/25
PortfolioIn a Dream You Saw a Way to Survive and You Were Full of Joy
Object number1991.35.6
Status
On view
Copyright© David McDermottMore Information
Since 1980, the queer artist-duo McDermott & McGough have adopted an anachronistic late-19th century lifestyle, from their dress to their artmaking. This photograph, for example, uses a World War I-era process, the palladium print. Resisting contemporary modes of self-presentation, they aim to highlight both the homophobic and homoerotic aspects of the Victorian era. In title, composition, and tone, The Anointed suggests a religious scene. In the absence of narrative details, however, the image could also be read as secular or even erotic.
Exhibition History
Recent Acquisition: Aids Portfolio
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (March 6, 1992 - May 4, 1992 )
Day Without Art
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (November 18, 1996 - December 31, 1996 )
The Body, The Host: HIV / AIDS and Christianity
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (January 20, 2024 - December 15, 2024 )
Collections
  • Modern & Contemporary
  • On View