Christopher Grant La Farge

Christopher Grant La Farge grew up in Newport, Rhode Island, where his father, the American painter, decorative artist, and writer John La Farge, came to study. Although Christopher was a noted New York–based architect, he made many photographs in Rhode Island, including those on view here. Little is known about his work as a photographer, but his gray mats with their historic hanging devices on the reverse suggest he exhibited in his lifetime. The strong contrasts of light and shadow and complex compositions indicate both his deep knowledge of art and a familiarity with the evocative landscapes and aesthetic theories of Pictorialist photographers.