Untitled #164 [Fairy Tales]

In the Fairy Tales series (1985/86), Sherman dedicated herself to the world of fairy tales. The series was originally commissioned by Vanity Fair but never published. Even more clearly than in the Fashion series, Sherman’s interest in Fairy Tales tends towards the macabre, the grotesque and the mysterious. To stage the hybrid beings in these pictures, Sherman for the first time used prostheses and dolls in addition to disguises and makeup. As in most works, the origins of her motifs remain ambiguous and most of her scenes seem purely fictional. Only a few have clearly identifiable references to well-known fairy tales, including the series Fitcher’s Bird, which was created as a photographic illustration of the fairy tale Fitchers Vogel by the Brothers Grimm. The themes of this story include kidnapping, injunctions, inquisitiveness and deception that ultimately saves the day.