Collection Artwork
Diane Arbus (New York, New York, 1923 – 1971, New York, New York)
Elderly couple on a park bench, N.Y.C. 1969
1969, printed later
gelatin silver print
Neil Selkirk (born London, England, 1947)
image size: 14 3/8 x 14 1/2 in.
paper size: 19 7/8 x 16 in.
Gift of Alan Mark and Jeffrey Fraenkel
photographed in New York, New York, United States, North America
2015.40.6
26/75
Stamped in black ink, verso, upper left: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED / This image may not be reproduced in any /way whatsoever without written permission / from The Estate of Diane Arbus.
Inscribed in pencil, verso, upper left, above stamp, sideways: 15
Stamped in black ink, verso, upper center: Copyright © 19__ [“72” handwritten in black ink above underline] / The Estate of Diane Arbus
Stamped in black ink, verso, upper right: A Diane Arbus photograph / title [two horizontal lines] / print by Neil Selkirk
Inscribed in black ink, verso, upper right, over lines on stamp: ELDERLY COUPLE ON A PARK / BENCH NYC 1969
Signed in black ink, verso, upper right, below stamp: Doon Arbus
Inscribed in black ink, verso, upper right, above stamp: 26/75
Inscribed in pencil, verso, lower center: RMG#A9007.109-0
Inscribed in pencil, verso, lower right: DAA.2194.Z

Ongoing Research

Research on our collection is ongoing. If you have resources you’d like to share, please contact Associate Curator Rebecca McNamara.

Tang Collective Catalog


Much of this photograph remains shrouded in mystery. As viewers, we know little about the circumstances surrounding the image or whether Diane Arbus knew the subjects pictured. The body language of this couple offers insights. Their physical closeness shows a level of comfort, but their diverging gazes suggest a tension. Though Arbus reveals this singular instant, we might imagine the entire lives of her subjects. The mystery of the photograph allows us, as viewers, to craft our own stories and contexts, granting it power beyond the frozen frame.
​​Much of this photograph remains shrouded in mystery. As viewers, we know little about the circumstances surrounding the image or whether Diane Arbus knew the subjects pictured. The body language of this couple offers insights. Their physical closeness shows a level of comfort, but their diverging gazes suggest a tension. Though Arbus reveals this singular instant, we might imagine the entire lives of her subjects. The mystery of the photograph allows us, as viewers, to craft our own stories and contexts, granting it power beyond the frozen frame.
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