Mrs Ova Heggi and her Mannequin, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1974' - Rosalind Solomon

fig.1

'Mrs Ova Heggi and her Mannequin, Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1974', is a black and white 15 3/8"x15 5/16" photograph which depicts a female subject within a messy room. The room appears large and depth-ful, with a myriad of discarded odds and ends, chairs, work tops and shelves each filled with stacks of indistinct objects. Behind the subject we see a corridor leading off to what seems to be a another dark room filled with detritus, at the end of walls filled with hung objects. Over the subjects right shoulder, left of frame, we see a wall clock and under the subjects feet we see a threadbare tartan style carpet. The subject herself, is centre frame, a mostly frontal 'pose' leaning over and hunched on a set of mannequin legs. The subjects hair and dress reflects the environment, disheveled, unkempt and world worn. Her leaning post, the mannequin legs, reach almost as high as her own height, they are bare of clothing showing a dainty knee bend and slim 'idealised' figure to which the fashion industry aspires.

The photographer, Rosalind Solomon, captioned the image with place and date, 'Tennessee, 1974', with little else direct information we are left to infer from what we see within the frame.

Max Kozloff describes the image as representing a dress maker (2), which easily justifiable judging by the type of furniture and objects we see in the image, coupled with the highlighting of the mannequin within the caption.

Rosalind Solomon herself was a student of Lisette Model (3) a fact that Kozloff also highlights by comparing Solomons work to that of fellow student of Model, Diane Arbus. We also know that Solomon, born in Illinois, spent 16 years as a resident of Chattanooga, prior to beginning her career as a photographer. This would suggest that she was previously aware of the subject of this image, or at the very least the cultural circumstances in which the subject lived.

We also know that Solomon had work selected by John Szarkowski for inclusion within the 1978 exhibition 'Mirrors and windows : American photography since 1960' (4) albeit for a different image.

Looking back to the image, I see a story of time, but also of class hierarchy and idealisation.

The overall impression given by the image is one of melancholy, the darker, heavy tones gives a weight to the image, not of impact but of memory and fatigue. Mrs Ova Heggi, is placed in an environment which seems, through the disarray, to have been at one point, busy and exciting but as time has moved on and her own age caught up things have slowed to a point where every object seems to have settled in place. The relatively shallow depth of field adds to this sense with a haziness which can be associated with the sense of looking back into memory. This sense of time passed is referenced with the clock on the wall, the numbers illegible due to blur but with no reference to time of day, such as an open window, the apparent time could easily be nearly noon or nearly midnight, an indication of being late in the day, or life, and the effects of ageing 'blurring' the distinction.

The square(ish) format gives the image an almost claustraphobic sense to the image heightened by the 'dutch tilt' which adds to a sense of uncertainty perhaps in how much longer the subject and her business will remain in their place.

Where the melancholic tones evoke the sense of memory and time, it is in the subjects hands, dress, age and posture we see a story of class. Here is a dress maker, with heavy hands and thickened skin. Signs of the meticulous and tiring work performed over many years. The arching of a back leant over a worktable hours a day and a standard of dress and presentation one could associate with an individual who works to cloth those who can afford to aspire to the idealised standard depicted but not earn enough to live at that standard themselves.

An idealisation which is forefront in the frame and depicted by the mannequin legs, extraordinarily long and slender, especially in comparison to the subject who appears somewhat shortened by their proximity, which is exaggerated by that claustrophobic aspect ratio.

Interestingly Its the view of the subjects ankles that I keep being drawn back to. Mrs Ova Heggi mirrors the mannequin in placement and footwear, but also in the slimness of figure. DO we see a sign of a figure which once met the standards of idealisation?

Knowing what we do about Solomon, and taking what we can from the image I feel that the overall intent is one which aims to challenge our perceptions of the female figure and role. Mrs Ova Heggi is embodiment of the passage of time and reality of being a working woman in Tennessee. At once the creator of fashion and perceptions of beauty whilst also carrying the weight of long hours, difficult and uncomfortable work. It's as if Solomon is saying, 'here is the idealisation but here is also the reality of that idealisation'.

If you like this post you may also like my photography, harleybainbridge.com

Illustrations

Figure 1. eMuseum. (s.d.)

Citations

(2) Kozloff, M. (2007) The theatre of the face: portrait photography since 1900. London ; New York: Phaidon.

(3) eMuseum (s.d.) At: http://ccp-emuseum.catnet.arizona.edu/view/objects/asitem/keyword@sweaters/60/title-asc;jsessionid=43379CC5592A22C7722C7CD99BB4D4F5?t:state:flow=fc1c4f07-1315-48cb-8f40-969cec61fdd0(Accessed 23/11/2021).

(4) 'Mirrors and windows : American photography since 1960' p.124.

Bibliography

Mirrors and Windows: American Photography since 1960 | MoMA (s.d.) At: https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/2347 (Accessed 24/11/2021).Szarkowski, J. (s.d.)