Subtle and emotionally evocative, Whitney’s photographs of nuns and soldiers illustrate parallel human experiences of collective identity, belonging, and purpose within their distinct environments.
Lynn Whitney’s remarkable collection of pictures, Beyond the Uniform: Portraits of Nuns and Soldiers arrives at a pivotal moment. Created in the 1980s during the Reagan era, her intimate portraits of nuns and young army reservists offer a rare glimpse into the everyday lives of two often-overlooked communities. Unlike contemporary portrayals of soldiers in combat or ceremonial depictions related to military and religious pageantry, Whitney focuses on the emotional experiences of individuals dedicated to service and sacrifice-- whether through spiritual devotion or civic duty.
Subtle and emotionally evocative, Whitney’s photographs of nuns and soldiers illustrate parallel human experiences of collective identity, belonging, and purpose within their distinct environments. Many images provide insight into the structured routines and simple living conditions of both barracks and convent life. Scenes depicting soldiers engaged in outdoor military exercises against a stark, wintry backdrop contrast with interior views of nuns acting as mentors and companions to their young charges. Each of these portrayals of group activities emphasize the bonds forged through a shared commitment to teamwork, mutual support, and camaraderie.
Complementing these images, others capture individual or paired figures who momentarily step away from their daily activities to pose for the camera. The crisp black-and-white and silvery tones of Whitney’s photographs nudge our attention to the subjects’ facial expressions and body language. Their gestures combined with other mannerisms reveal the unique personalities and emotions beneath the symbolic associations of their uniforms that connote duty, conformity, and personal sacrifice. While some figures look out at us with something like skepticism or introspection (as seen in Supply Check, Cot, and Identical Novitiates), others meet our gaze with assurance, resolute in their choice. (Helmet Hold, Easter Lily, and Recreation Day, Town Beach)
Thematically, Whitney’s pictures of nuns and soldiers explore two interconnected aspects of American identity: codes of faith and patriotic duty. Made during a period marked by rising nationalism, militarization, and religious conservatism, these photographs address present-day concerns about the role of religion in public life, as well as our evolving definitions of patriotism and duty in a divided society. By revisiting an earlier turbulent era through her work, Whitney encourages us to reflect on how past cultural and social forces continue to shape contemporary values and notions of national identity.
Robin Reisenfeld, PhD
Independent Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art
Beyond the Uniform: Portraits of Nuns and Soldiers
Artist Statement
Forty years have passed since these pictures were made. I wrote a letter, met with the Garrison Commander at Fort Devens in Massachusetts, and subsequently was given access to the 5,000 acres where Army Reservists train. I reached out to various convents, described my project to the Mother Superiors, and was invited to meet with them and see what they and I were about. After my pictures were made, I took care to share them with the leaders of both the army and the convents.
I began with an interest in seeing if I could understand the commitment and discipline required to serve within a structured framework designed for an organized purpose. My hometown is known for the “shot heard round the world”, marking the beginning of the American Revolution and where creative writers and critical thinkers resided and worked: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and Henry David Thoreau, among them. Growing up in this environment, I developed a deep belief in individual rights and freedoms. Consequently, this grouping titled “Beyond the Uniform” illuminates those who have chosen, either temporarily or for a lifetime, to tap down their identity in service of a collective mission.
Forty years ago, I was the same age as the individuals I photographed. The questions I had for myself about who or what I would become are mirrored in their faces. Their generosity-- along with that of their leaders, their trust, reaffirmed that in seeing them, they were also seeing me, and helping me answer my own questions about identity and purpose.
Lynn Whitney
