''Immediate Family'' is a 1992
photography book by
Sally Mann. The book is published by
Aperture and contains 65
duotone images. The book predominately features Mann's three children, Emmett, Jessie and Virginia, who also appear on the front cover. 13 of the pictures show nudity and three show minor injuries; Emmett with a nosebleed, Jessie with a cut and stitches, and Jessie with a swollen eye. Several images from the book were re-published in Mann's next book, ''
Still Time''.
Production
The images within the book were taken between 1984 and 1991 in rural
Virginia, where the children, and Mann herself, spent their childhoods. Photographs were taken with an 8 x 10
view camera. Mann originally decided not to publish the book until 10 years after the last photos had been taken, as her children would be older and more likely to understand the images. When Emmett and Jessie found out they protested, insisting that she publish it sooner. The children held the power to refuse any images being published. Virginia refused to let a photo of her urinating appear in the book and Emmet refused to allow a photo with him with his socks on his hands. Sally Mann commented her children seemed only concerned over being portrayed as "geeks" and showed no concern over nudity.
[
]
Reception
By September 1992, 300 prints from the book had already been ordered, earning "well over a half-million dollars".Blake Morrison
Philip Blake Morrison FRSL (born 8 October 1950) is an English poet and author who has published in a wide range of fiction and non-fiction genres. His greatest success came with the publication of his memoirs ''And When Did You Last See Your Fat ...
commented that ''Immediate Family'' made Mann famous for the wrong reasons; "because critics exaggerated the intimacy of the photos at the expense of their artfulness; and because the American religious right
The Christian right, or the religious right, are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with ...
accused her of pornography when her camera was capturing beauty and transience."
In 1993 Steven Cantor
Steven Cantor is an American film/television director and film/television producer. Eight of his films have been nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards, with two winning, including the 2022 Outstanding Documentary prize for When Claude Got Shot. W ...
directed the film '' Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann'', which focused largely on Mann's fight defending herself from allegations from the Christian right that her work was child pornography.
References
External links
Official profile at the publishers website
{{Sally Mann
1992 non-fiction books
Books by Sally Mann
Books of nude photography