Prom

First edition of Prom by Mary Ellen Mark. First impression. Medium format hardback with just jacket and tissue sleeve in fine condition, however, the DVD is not included.

About

I've always been interested in photographing traditions and customs—especially in America. The prom is an American tradition, a rite of passage that has always been one of the most important rituals of American youth. It is a day in our lives that we never forget—a day full of hopes and dreams for our future.

Before I started this project I photographed several proms around America in a documentary/caught-moment style of photography using medium-format and 35 mm cameras. I was fascinated by how the dress and behavior of the prom-goers reflected their socioeconomic and cultural differences. For example, at a prom for Peabody High School in Pittsburgh, middle-class white girls bought their dresses at the same local department store, while the African American girls had their own original ball gowns custom made. Their gowns were unique and surprising, while the store-bought dresses were very much alike.

The choice of prom partner was also revealing and sometimes unexpected, even amusing. All of us remember our prom dates. (I still exchange Christmas cards with mine.) One of the first proms I photographed was in 1986 at Gibbs Senior High School in St. Petersburg, Florida. My favorite image is of Brooke and Billy—obviously madly in love, dancing dreamily with eyes closed (fig. 1). The photograph, later published in a book called A Day in the Life of America (1986), summed up for me the essence of prom.