Don Herron moved to New York City in 1978 and became a part of the East Village art scene. Continuing his series of black-and-white images, he began to take photographs of iconic artists in their bathtubs. He photographed a variety of people, including painters, filmmakers, photographers, and even drag performers. 

When creating these images, he allowed the subject to have a lot of creative liberty when it came to the setup. They could decide whether they wanted to wear clothing or not, if there was water in the tub if there were any props, and pretty much anything else they wanted to do. In exchange for creative liberty, they allowed themselves to be put into an extremely vulnerable position. Being photographed in the bathtub is an intimate experience, but Herron ensured that each subject was as comfortable as possible and could make their photo unique. 

Herron’s goal in creating this series was to preserve and honor these artists at a time when so many were coming and going, whether it was from death or literally leaving. He wanted to capture the shifting balance between “glamour and camp, as well as joy and tragedy” (ultrawolvesunderthefullmoon.blog) that the art community in the 1970s experienced. 

Herron, Don. Photo of Robert Mapplethorpe, 1972. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/facing-death-from-aids-keith-haring-kept-creating/16169/. Accessed 31 March 2024. 

ultrawolvesunderthefullmoon, “Don Herron.” ultrawolvesunderthefullmoon, 1 Feb 2022, 

https://ultrawolvesunderthefullmoon.blog/2022/02/01/don-herron/. Accessed 31 March 2024.