The Crowning Glory Hairdo
Date1997
Mediumsepia-toned 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 number2001.11.30
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 TextLong a burial place for Savannah’s white elites, Bonaventure became an unlikely setting for photographs celebrating the creativity of African American hairstyles. Maria Von Matthiessen, a white, fine art photographer visiting Savannah, became entranced by the hair of local African American women. Von Matthiessen, whose celebrity portraits appeared in publications such as Life, Town & Country, and Harper’s Bazaar, also completed books such as Songs from the Hills (1993), featuring portraits of country musicians. In Savannah she collaborated with stylist Delores Screen, who created hairdos and coordinated with other stylists to interpret a variety of locations in the city through hair. Among these sites were the Shabazz Restaurant, the Owens-Thomas House slave quarters, and cemeteries including Bonaventure.
The Crowning Glory Hairdo, one of two images shot in Bonaventure, shows a model with hair piled in curls on her head in the form of a crown. She is positioned beneath a carved headstone in which two hands are shown descending from the clouds, appearing to place a crown on her head. The model’s eyes are closed, suggesting sleep or death, the solemn mood accentuated by the use of black and white. Von Matthiessen completed the series, called The Magical Self, shortly before her death from breast cancer in January 2001. Her photographs were exhibited at Telfair in June of that year.Subject MatterBonaventure Cemetery, 330 Bonaventure Road, Thunderbolt, Georgia, United States of America
