WILLIAM WEGMAN / Farm Days

William Wegman
Farm Days, 1997
Hardcover with dust jacket, 36 pages
26 × 26cm
Hyperion Books for Children, New York
First edition

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Published by Hyperion Books for Children in 1997, Farm Days follows Wegman’s beloved Weimaraner characters as city dog Chip visits his country cousins and learns the routines of farm life. Batty and Crooky McDouble introduce him to planting, watering, weeding and mowing, while Wegman’s carefully staged photographs transform the dogs into deadpan characters within an absurdly bucolic world.

Combining full-colour photography with playful typography and a simple children’s story, the book extends Wegman’s long-running exploration of the Weimaraner as both photographic subject and performer. The photographs are especially effective in their contrast between the dogs’ solemn expressions and the increasingly ridiculous situations in which they are placed.

This copy is signed and inscribed by William Wegman, with a small original drawing of Chip, dated 1997. The inscription adds a particularly nice personal element to an otherwise charming example of one of Wegman’s most playful and accessible artist’s books.