Prototype/Phenotype

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A framed color pigment print on German etching paper titled “Prototype/Phenotype” by Ayana V. Jackson. The photograph is two self-portraits of Jackson who is portraying her great-grandmother. The two portraits are seamlessly placed side-by-side. The left image captures Jackson from a front view and the right image from right profile. Wearing the same clothing in both views, Jackson is dressed in a long-sleeved white lace shirt with a jabot and a black skirt. Her hair is gathered in an up-do. She is sitting on a wooden chair. In both poses, Jackson’s hands are gathered in her lap, and she looks forward with a straight face. The background is a brown-gray backdrop.

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