evelyn hofer

The Coombe - Girl with Bicycle - 1966 Dublin

Evelyn Hofer (1922-2009) was a German / American photographer whose career included both book illustrations and photo essays for publications such as Life and New York Times magazine. Hofer’s image making was very diverse but focused mainly on documentary subjects relating to society and community as well as celebrity portraits and interiors for magazines.

Perhaps Hofer’s most important body of work was the series of city portraits where she joined forces with eminent writers to produce visual and narrative essays on cities she visited. Hofer was meticulous in her research and organisation and would spend long periods studying the city, its architecture, and people before even touching her camera.

This image, The Coombe - Girl with Bicycle - Dublin 1966, is somewhat typical of her street portraits. Hofer did not like to disturb or surprise people and her portraits often have a staged look about them. Not surprising as she used a cumbersome 4x5 camera, often with a long exposure, which she believed helped the subject concentrate. The image appeared in the book Dublin: A Portrait published in 1967 and featuring an essay by V.S Pritchett.

The image is shot on location, in this case a street in Dublin, and shows a young girl posing rather tentatively on a bike that is clearly too big for her. The girl stares intensely into the camera lens and has a stiffened pose while, presumably, trying hard not to move. While she is taking up the front and centre position of the image the background provides a strong sense of place and perhaps tells us just a little about the child’s life, as does the uniform she has not yet changed out of. There is also something a little enigmatic added by the presence of the dog.

This image is just one example of the wonderful work that Evelyn Hofer produced in her lifetime, whether for magazines, book projects and, in later life, for her own enjoyment.