Tomoko and Mother in the Bath

W. Eugene Smith, artist

1918–1978

Tomoko and Mother in the Bath, 1972

Portfolio/Series title: published in LIFE, 1972

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: gelatin silver print

Dimensions:
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 28.5 x 47 cm
Image Dimensions Height/Width (Height x Width): 11 1/4 x 18 1/2 in
Mat Dimensions (Height x Width): 20 x 25 in

Credit line: Museum purchase

Accession number: 1973.0004

Not on display

Add to portfolio

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"The Family in Photography," Dec-1997, Stefanie Vigil
This scene of a mother bathing her severely disabled 16-year-old daughter was part of a series Smith did for "Life" magazine to document an environmental crime in Japan. A chemical production plant had regularly and knowingly discharged deadly mercury into Minimata Bay, maiming adults and causing central nervous system damage in many children, including Uemura. This image, which Smith first titled "Mother and Child," recalls pieta figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary.7