A photograph of Penny the Weimaraner draped in white paper frames.

Loosely Framed

Artist William Wegman (American, born 1943)

Date2007

MediumLarge format color polaroid

DimensionsImage: 30 × 22 inches (76.2 × 55.9 cm)
Sheet: 30 × 22 inches (76.2 × 55.9 cm)
Framed: 34 × 26 7/8 × 1 3/4 inches (86.4 × 68.3 × 4.4 cm)

Credit LineGift of William Wegman.

Object number2017.11

On View

Not on view

Copyright© William Wegman. 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 TextWilliam Wegman pursued a simplified approach—a core idea, dog, and prop—throughout his 25-year career with the Polaroid 20 x 24 inch camera starting in 1979. The Polaroid 20 × 24 camera is unique in that it delivers an instant finished photograph. Due to this instant process, the artist was able to quickly react to the image captured in a manner unlike any of the other, slower photographic processes available at that time. In this way, Wegman’s love of the Polaroid format connected him with the immediacy of his drawings and early videos. Portraits of his Weimaraners, and portraiture in general, is another ongoing motif in the Polaroids. Cropping and framing are utilized literally in the studio and composed as photographic “takes” exposed on film. Fay Ray was the first dog and muse that Wegman used to “get tall” ̶ anthropomorphizing her into a vertical human form. His collaboration with Fay Ray would lead Wegman to create many human/dog characters, some with human hands and legs activating the dog’s body. Through these portraits we can appreciate Wegman’s sleight of hand, as part artist, part comedian, and part magician.

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