Back 1975, American photographer Nicholas Nixon once took a photo of his wife Bebe and her three sisters, and they came up with an idea to make it an annual tradition. Since then, the Brown sisters took a photo every year till 2010. To make the series more coherent, the four sisters – Heather, Mimi, Bebe, and Laurie – always posed in the same order.
The series resulted as a time lapse of 36 years. The youngest of the sisters, Mimi, was only 15 in the first photograph, and the oldest one – Bebe – was 61 in the last one. Back when Nixon started taking the portraits, the Brown sisters were 15 to 25 years old. Even though the portraits may not be stunning from the artistic point of view, but they do touch your heart. Seeing how seasons, fashion and haircuts change throughout the series, one thing remains the same, and it’s the strong family bond the the four women share.
The series, titled The Brown Sisters, were even exhibited National Gallery of Art and the George Eastman House in Rochester, N.Y., and two complete sets were sold at the New York’s photography auctions. Nixon himself was at the time a professor of photography at the Massachusetts College of Art. This time laps even out-does the five friends, who’d take the same photo for 30 years, starting 1982. Well, what are you waiting for – start yours today!
Book: The Brown Sisters (via: 22words)
UPDATE: Unfortunately, photographer’s representative requested to remove the pictures. Luckily, you can find them in the archives of New York’s Museum of Modern art, Fraenkel Gallery or do a Google search. The Brown Sisters by Nicholas Nixon book is also available on Amazon.
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