One of the best gifts my mom ever bought me was purchased at an American Library Association conference when I was a teenager. It was a long, thin promotional poster for the ALA featuring William Wegman — one of my all-time favorite photographers — and his dog Fay Ray.
A rough recreation of the American Library Association poster I had hanging in my bedroom thirty years ago. Fay Ray is pictured alongside Wegman.
Now, these days Instagram is rife with photographers taking crazy-cute pictures of their photogenic dogs, and dogs dressed up as people are so common they’re almost cliché. But, in the ‘70s and ‘80s, that shit was NEW, and Wegman was the man. The work he did with his first Weimaraner, Man Ray, and his second, Fay Ray, was astounding.
I mean, look at this.
That he was able to train Fay Ray’s litter (in 1989) and her daughter’s litter (in 1995) to do the same type of stuff, and more, is almost unbelievable. Especially because Weimaraners are not known as easy to train. (My sister and brother-in-law have one, and my God, believe me when I say that dog would have to be drugged beyond comprehension to ever agree to spell out letters of the alphabet with her body.)
Anyway, I had that ALA poster for years — it hung in my dorm room and my first several apartments, as well. I wish I would have kept it after that; I’ve been unable to find a copy anywhere since. (The mockup you see above was created using Canva and some images I found on the Internet.)
If anyone sees one — or, hell, even remembers seeing one! — please let me know.
VERY FUN FACT: As I was looking online for some images of Fay Ray, I discovered that Wegman — who I will always think of as a New York artist — actually got his start here in Long Beach! Not only did he acquire Man Ray in Long Beach, but he lived here until 1972, before his move to New York. Next on my to-do list: Find out where he lived and go stalk the place.
What?