Becoming One For a Moment with the Live Oaks
Date1997
MediumBlack and white print
DimensionsSheet: 20 × 16 inches (50.8 × 40.6 cm)
Portfolio/Series"The Magical Self: African-American Hairdos in Savannah" series
Credit LineMuseum purchase.
Object number2001.11.23
Copyright© 2018 by Malte von Matthiessen.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextMaria von Matthiessen was already an established photographer when she visited Savannah in the early 2000s. Her trip inspired a new body of work focused on the artistry and African heritage expressed in the hairdos of local women. Working with Black hair artists, makeup artists, and models from the community, she curated elaborate compositions where hairdos would overlap, intertwine, or echo parts of Savannah's natural and built landscape. This photograph belongs to a series of 30 pictures that featured local landmarks like the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, Colonial Park Cemetery, Laurel Grove Cemetery, the First Baptist Church, Tybee Island, and the Olde Pink House, and were displayed as a group at the Telfair Academy in 2001.
