Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park
Encyclopedia
Diane Arbus
Diane Arbus March 14, 1923 – July 26, 1971) was an American photographer and writer noted for black-and-white square photographs of "deviant and marginal people or of people whose normality seems ugly or surreal." A friend said that Arbus said that she was "afraid.....
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The photo shows a boy, with the left strap of his jumper awkwardly hanging off his shoulder, tensely holding his long, thin arms by his side. Clenched in his right hand is a toy grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
, and his left hand is held in a claw-like gesture; his facial expression is maniacal. Arbus captured this photograph by having the boy stand while moving around him, claiming she was trying to find the right angle. The boy became impatient and told her to "Take the picture already!" [citation needed] His expression conveys his exasperation and impatience with the whole endeavor, as the contact sheet for the shoot reveals. In other pictures, he is seen as a happy child.
The boy in the photograph is Colin Wood, son of tennis player Sidney Wood
Sidney Wood
Sidney Wood was an American tennis player.Wood was born in Black Rock, Connecticut. He won the Arizona State Men’s Tournament on his 14th birthday, which qualified him for the French Championship and led to him earning a spot at Wimbledon He attended The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania,...
. An interview with Colin, with his recollections about Arbus taking this photograph, is presented in the BBC documentary "The Genius of Photography".
After writing the song "Teach Your Children
Teach Your Children
"Teach Your Children" is a song by Graham Nash. Although it was written when Nash was a member of The Hollies, it was never recorded by that group, and first appeared on the album Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released in 1970. The recording features Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar...
" in 1968 and recording it, Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
discovered this photograph in a San Francisco gallery and found that it related to the song's message about nonviolence. The photograph was used, without permission, on the first version of the cover of Canadian punk band SNFU
SNFU
SNFU is a Canadian punk rock band formed in 1981 in Edmonton, Alberta and later relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia. They have released nine full-length albums and are cited as a formative influence on the skate punk sub-genre....
's 1984 album And No One Else Wanted to Play
And No One Else Wanted to Play
...And No One Else Wanted to Play is the first full-length album from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada's punk band SNFU. It was released on BYO Records in 1985...
after the band "found the picture in the library." The image is also used on the cover of American Indie Rock band Cloud Cult
Cloud Cult
Cloud Cult is an experimental indie rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota led by singer/songwriter Craig Minowa. The name originated from the ancient prophecies of indigenous North Americans.-History:...
's debut album Who Killed Puck?
Who Killed Puck?
Who Killed Puck? is an album by Cloud Cult. Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park by renowned photographer Diane Arbus is featured on the cover.-Track listing:#"Where It Starts"#"Conception"#"9 Months"#"Puck's 6th Birthday"...
. An original print of the photograph sold for $408,000 in April 2005 at Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
New York.
