Spooky Photography: Ralph Eugene Meatyard

I have had an attraction to the photographs of Ralph Eugene Meatyard (1925-1972) ever since I saw a show of his work in New York many moons ago. They frighten me a little, but I can't look away. His series Dolls & Masks is especially creepy.

Meatyard was a self-taught photographer who purchased his first camera at the age of 25. Six years later he had his first exhibit at the University of Kentucky. When he died from congenital heart failure at the age of 46 his work was just beginning to be recognized nationally.

I apologize that the following photos are snatched from around the web like a spider gone crazy. It's difficult to find them all in one place. I hope your interest will be piqued enough to go in search for them and more.

This is the stuff that will haunt your dreams.