Oskar at sunset, from the portfolio every breath we drew

Inscriptions

Signed and inscribed, on reverse, bottom edge, in black ink: OSKAR AT SUNSET, 2019 EDITION 3/20 JESS T. DUGAN Jess Dugan

Label

Two young men stand fully in their queerness. Through make- up and clothing, they present themselves as femmes boldly to the world. Droste, a bisexual actor in Weimar Germany wraps himself in brocade, dons thick eyeliner, and leans into a mirror, multiplying his image and amplifying the sensuality of his pose. Oskar, a gay fashion student in Chicago also rings his eyes in heavy liner, wears subtle jewelry, and androgynous clothing; he looks towards the camera with a powerful gaze and unquestionable confidence in his presentation. These photos were taken almost 100 years apart, and yet reflect the cyclical nature of history. While the 1920s and 2020s have both been periods in our history of expanding understandings of sexual and gender expression, they have also been moments impacted by pandemics, war, economic upheaval, and a rising authoritarianism that seeks to oppress difference—periods of both freedom and risk.

From the 2022 exhibition Femme is Fierce: Femme Queer Gender Performance in Photography, curated by Alisa Swindell, Associate Curator of Photography

Course History

SART 30/SART 75, Photography II/III, Virginia Beahan, Spring 2022

SART 30.01/SART 75.01, Photography II/III, Eva O'Leary, Fall 2022

WGSS 10.01, Sex, Gender, and Society, Francine A'Ness, Fall 2022

Writing Program 5.25, Photographic Representations, Amanda Wetsel, Winter 2023

Writing Program 5.24, Photographic Representations, Amanda Wetsel, Winter 2023

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 2.01, Introduction to Queer Studies, Eng-Beng Lim, Winter 2023

Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies 10.01 – Sex, Gender, and Society, Zahra Ayubi, Summer 2023

Exhibition History

Femme is Fierce: Femme Queer Gender Performance in Photography, Class of 1967 gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 1-December 17, 2022.

Provenance

The artist, Jess T. Dugan, St. Louis, Missouri; sold to present collection, 2022.

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Subjects