Balto's Friends

1994, printed 2000
(American, 1945-)
Image: 20.8 x 16.5 cm (8 3/16 x 6 1/2 in.); Paper: 25.3 x 20.2 cm (9 15/16 x 7 15/16 in.); Matted: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14 in.)
This artwork is known to be under copyright.
Location: not on view

Download, Print and Share

Description

The six photographs called Balto’s Friends are named after the famous sled dog whose team delivered serum to Nome, Alaska, saving the area from diphtheria in 1925. For a number of years, McMillan has photographed in the research collections of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where the taxidermized body of Balto resides. Balto’s many "friends" are in storage and are seldom seen by the general public. The creatures in these photographs were collected for the sake of scientific interest, then categorized, arranged into groups, and labeled. Depicting the museum’s collections not as subjects for study, but as still-life compositions possessing what the artist has called an "exquisite variety and pure beauty," McMillan discovered an aesthetic interest that is far from scientific.
Balto's Friends

Balto's Friends

1994, printed 2000

Judith K. McMillan

(American, 1945-)
America, 20th century

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.