Morris Photo discussion

 

The specific radicalism of this photo lies not in its framing (though the composition is really striking), but in the banality of the violence depicted. "Behind Closed Doors" was shot by photographer Donna Ferrato of the couple Garth and Lisa, whose real names were Elisabeth and Bengt. Ferrato captured this instance of domestic violence in the couple's bathroom in 1982. It was unplanned-- Ferrato took a series of photos of Garth and Lisa while on assignment to take pictures of, as TIME calls them, "wealthy swingers." 

But her spontaneous act of witness became a larger project. Ferrato published the photo in her 1991 book Living With The Enemy, which focused on violence against women. Congress ratified the Violence Against Women Act in 1994. The act classified gendered violence as a serious offense and targeted domestic and dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault.