Robert Giard Portrait of Audre Lorde

Robert Giard (1939–2002)

Audre Lorde. Staten Island, NY.

Particular Voices: Portraits of Gay and Lesbian Writers by Robert Giard

Gelatin Silver Print, 1987

In the 1980s, photographer Robert Giard undertook a project to document gay and lesbian writers in the context of the HIV/AIDS crisis, as well as the literary renaissance happening at that time. This body of work documented a whole generation of writers with portraits that are intimate and deeply participatory.

Audre Lorde was one of the pivotal poets, writers, and activists of the late 20th century, perhaps best known for her autobiographical novel and biomythography Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, as well as the collection of essays and speeches Sister Outsider. From 1955 to 1958, she was a Library Clerk for The New York Public Library’s Children’s Services.

Holding Division: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs

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