A Woman Mourning Her Dead Husband
Artist
Larry Burrows
(British, 1926–1971)
Artist
Life Magazine
DateApril 1969
Mediumchromogenic print
Dimensionsimage: 40.5 x 49.3 cm (15 15/16 x 19 7/16 in.)
sheet: 40.5 x 50.8 cm (15 15/16 x 20 in.)
sheet: 40.5 x 50.8 cm (15 15/16 x 20 in.)
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineGift of Howard G. Davis, III A.K.A. David Davis
Object number2011.138
Label TextThe imperial capital Huè was targeted in the 1968 Tet Offensive, a series of surprise attacks launched by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops on cities and hamlets throughout South Vietnam. The woman in this image had returned to her razed home in April 1969 only to find the bagged remains of her husband, one of forty-seven bodies recovered from a mass grave. Burrows emphasized the overwhelming emotion of the widow’s grief with her hunched posture. The triangular composition is reminiscent of the pietà figure in Renaissance painting and sculpture.ProvenanceLarry Burrows Collection
David DavisOn View
Not on view
