""Della" Piety: The Cult of Womanhood" Piety" Photograph - Limited Edition of 1

I grew up in New York, and though I now live in Jersey City I consider myself a New Yorker. I received my BFA in photography from Kansas City Art Institute. My work explores male/female relationships in a phallocentric society. I appropriate & digitally alter 19th century tintypes, predominantly of women. I name each woman using names common during the 19th century; thus giving each a personal identity.
The 19th century brings together several forces. Studies of biological determination created the belief that men were the superior sex. The roles of men and women were strictly separated. Women belonged at home as wife and mother. This was also advent of the tintype. Now all classes, not just the rich could have their images recorded. Finally this was also the beginning of the women's suffrage movement. Women were increasingly becoming discontent with their restricted lives. It was time to fight for their rights.
I use each tintype as my starting point to create a new narrative that incorporates history, personal experience and current social issues of today.