Me and Benjamin in May
- Artist: Francesca Woodman
- Date: c.1976
- Medium: Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper on ink on paper
- Dimensions: image: 143 x 144 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “Me and Benjamin in May” by Francesca Woodman. It’s a small black‑and‑white gelatin silver print from 1976, about 143 × 144 mm. You’ll spot Woodman on the right, back turned, in a loose dress with her hair in a ponytail, and her boyfriend Benjamin Moore opposite her. He holds a tall mirror that reflects a hazy corner of the room and a ghostly glimpse of Woodman’s upper body. The light comes from the right, so their shadows fall on the wall behind Moore, and scattered leaves and debris litter the floor, adding to a quiet, domestic feel.
The photo sits on off‑white paper, with the title “me and Benjamin in May” inked above and a typed credit below. It was a gift to Moore and a snapshot of Woodman’s early RISD work, when she was just eighteen and already experimenting with cropping, mirrors, and intimate self‑portraiture.
See it in person
Me and Benjamin in May is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
