William Wegman, Pup Prop, 1995
Chip was born May 19, 1995, the first of Batty's four boys. His birth was not without drama. He emerged outside the sac, apparently not breathing. Having been through it before with Chundo during Fay’s delivery, we pretty much knew what to do. He would have to be jumpstarted. With lots of rubbing, pinching, swinging, after ten long minutes my wife Christine's heroic efforts got him to breathe.
William Wegman, Furog, 1995
Three days later I photographed him with Batty with the 20 x 24 polaroid camera. One picture stands out in my mind. An odd and somewhat blunt version of the classic Madonna and child portrait.
William Wegman, Chip and Battina, 1995
Six months later I would photograph him as Tamino in the Magic Flute in a photo series for the Houston Grand Opera. It still amazes me how much costume weight Chip could carry without the slightest effect on his expression.
William Wegman, The Magic Flute, 1996
Even with hats! Maybe that part of his brain failed to develop during the traumatic events of his birth. Remind me to ask Oliver Sacks about that next time I see him.
William Wegman, Leader of the Pack, 2000
In the early 90’s I made children’s’ books with Fay and her offspring, Batty, Crooky, and Chundo. Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, an alphabet book, a book of shapes, a book of numbers…all versions of classic children’s books.
With Chip I headed off in a new direction, with my own original stories guided by Chip’s personality. He would need a new wardrobe. I found the right shirt for him at a Salvation Army in Hudson, NY, near where many of the books and films were made (notably, Farm Days, Surprise Party, My Town, and Chip Wants a Dog).
His wistful look guided much of the texts for these works. One could never write a purely happy ending peering into those somewhat sad dreamy eyes. In Chip Wants a Dog, he plays a dog obsessed only child of an upstate couple played by his real mother Batty and his (pretend) father (real uncle) Chundo.
He wants a dog, but for all the usual reasons given to children he is denied. To give it an upbeat spin I thought long and hard and came up with this: Chip goes to bed has a dream and in his dream he becomes a dog. When he awakes he is no longer wearing clothes…he has become a dog.
A great and powerful runner. I photographed him running in a field. He loved to run. In the photo he looked, and was, truly happy.
Chip free of clothes was majestic and many of the polaroid 20 x 24 work from the next years explored that. Perhaps the most beautiful is this black and white 20 x 24 taken in 1998:
William Wegman, Looking Back, 1998
That being said, he did have a way with hats.
-- WW
