Self-Portrait

Inscriptions

Stamped, on reverse, bottom center edge, in black ink: [in rectangle] Vivian Maier / Date of Photograph: N.D. [handwritten, in black ink] / Date of Print: 2017 [handwritten, in black ink] / Edition Number: 11/15 [handwritten, in black ink] / John Maloof [signature, in black ink] / John Maloof / c[circled] Maloof Collection/All Rights Reserved

Label

In seemingly spontaneous moments, both Hambourg and Maier capture fleeting reflections of themselves against urban backdrops, transforming these ephemeral views into lasting images. Amidst Hambourg’s series documenting the May 1968 Paris protests, his self-portrait stands apart, a rare pause in a body of work otherwise turned outward. In contrast, Maier’s self-portrait—only developed after her death without permission—reveals an artist whose work was never meant for an audience. Her double reflection suggests an elusiveness—not just of her image, but of her presence in the world of photography itself. Who, then, is a self-portrait for? In an era where capturing oneself is an act of self-connection meant for others, Maier’s decision not to share her photographs disrupts this expectation. What does it mean to see oneself and never be seen? And when we look at her image now, who do we encounter?

From the 2025 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 127, Separation Perfected, curated by Dominic Folkes ’25, Mellon Special Project Intern

Exhibition History

A Space for Dialogue 127, Separation Perfected, Dominic Folkes ’25, Mellon Special Project Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, November 8, 2025 - January 4, 2026

A Space for Dialogue 92, Consent: Complicating Agency in Photography, Ashley Dotson, Class of 2018, Conroy Intern, Gina Campanelli, Class of 2018, Class of 1954 Intern, Kimberly Yu, Class of 2018, Homma Family Intern, Marie-Therese Cummings, Class of 2018, Levinson Intern, Tess McGuinness, Class of 2018, Conroy Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 26-May 5, 2019.

Publication History

Ashley Dotson, Class of 2018, Conroy Intern, Gina Campanelli, Class of 2018, Class of 1954 Intern, Kimberly Yu, Class of 2018, Homma Family Intern, Marie-Therese Cummings, Class of 2018, Levinson Intern, Tess McGuinness, Class of 2018, Conroy Intern, A Space for Dialogue 92, Consent, Complicating Agency in Photography, Hanover, New Hampshire: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 2019.

Provenance

Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York, New York; sold to present collection, 2017.

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Subjects