Items Similar to Girl down the Road (The Last Picture Show) - 21st Century, Polaroid, Color
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5
Stefanie SchneiderGirl down the Road (The Last Picture Show) - 21st Century, Polaroid, Color2006
2006
About the Item
Girl down the Road (The Last Picture Show) - 2006
Edition of 10,
58x57cm.
Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Archive Fuji Chrystal Paper, based on the Polaroid.
Artist inventory number: 1023.
Mounted on Aluminum with matte UV-Protection.
Signed on verso.
Stefanie Schneider’s work captures the American West in a way that transcends mere documentation—it distills the mythos of the frontier into something dreamlike, deteriorating, and deeply personal. Her images evoke Ed Ruscha’s fascination with roadside Americana, Georgia O’Keeffe’s reverence for arid landscapes, and Edward Hopper’s haunting loneliness, yet they engage in a unique dialogue with history, both photographic and cultural. How did a German artist become one of the most essential voices in the visual storytelling of the American dream—and its unraveling?
Born in Germany in 1968, Schneider grew up in a divided nation, where the scars of history were still visible in the landscape. This early exposure to ruptured histories and fading ideologies may explain her pull toward the abandoned edges of the American West—a land that once symbolized limitless possibility but now bears the melancholy of faded utopias.
Schneider’s process begins in these liminal spaces—the parched deserts and forgotten highways of Southern California—where she photographs her subjects using expired Polaroid film. The very material of her work embodies impermanence and decay, its chemical imperfections mirroring the breakdown of memory and myth. In Berlin, she develops and enlarges her images by hand, bringing an almost cinematic post-production process to a medium often associated with instant gratification.
Her role in preserving Polaroid film as an artistic medium has placed her at the forefront of a historical crossroads in photography. At a time when instant film was being phased out—a casualty of digital progress—Schneider refused to let it vanish. In doing so, she not only safeguarded a crucial chapter in photographic history but also cemented her place as one of its key narrators, treating Polaroid not as a tool of nostalgia but as a medium uniquely suited to capturing time slipping away.
This tension between preservation and deterioration is central to Schneider’s work. As she told Artnet in 2014, her images are deeply personal explorations of longing, memory, and loss:
"My work resembles my life: Love, lost and unrequited, leaves its mark in our lives as a senseless pain that has no place in the present."
The notion of absence—whether in love, landscapes, or fading cultural dreams—haunts her work. Her subjects, often seen in desolate spaces—trailer parks, oilfields, run-down motels, and empty highways—appear disconnected, isolated even when together. The ghosts of American iconography—the road trip, the drifter, the neon-lit escape—are present, yet they flicker like echoes of a past that may never have existed as we remember it.
In many ways, Schneider’s vision of the American West is a farewell letter—not to the physical place, but to the idea of it. She does not merely document a landscape; she captures the moment it dissolves, leaving behind only traces of what was. In doing so, she ensures that the story of the West, much like her Polaroid film, lingers—imperfect, beautiful, and just beyond our grasp.
Why do you think it is important to own art?
'We have art in order not to die of the truth'
Nietzsche
- Creator:Stefanie Schneider (1968, German)
- Creation Year:2006
- Dimensions:Height: 22.84 in (58 cm)Width: 22.45 in (57 cm)Depth: 0.4 in (1 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Morongo Valley, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU652316186642
Stefanie Schneider
Stefanie Schneider received her MFA in Communication Design at the Folkwang Schule Essen, Germany. Her work has been shown at the Museum for Photography, Braunschweig, Museum für Kommunikation, Berlin, the Institut für Neue Medien, Frankfurt, the Nassauischer Kunstverein, Wiesbaden, Kunstverein Bielefeld, Museum für Moderne Kunst Passau, Les Rencontres d'Arles, Foto -Triennale Esslingen., Bombay Beach Biennale 2018, 2019.
About the Seller
4.9
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 1996
1stDibs seller since 2017
1,023 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 3 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Morongo Valley, CA
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllRadha Shooting II (Long Way Home) - Polaroid, Pop-art, Contemporary, analog
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Radha Shooting II (Long Way Home) - 1999
published in 'Stranger than Paradise'
128x126cm
Sold out edition of 5, Artist proof 2/2,
Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist, based...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Portrait Photography
Materials
Metal
Girl down the Road (The Last Picture Show) - 21st Century, Polaroid, Color
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Girl down the Road (The Last Picture Show) - 2006
Edition of 10,
58x57cm.
Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist on Archive Fuji Chrystal Paper, based on the Polaroid.
Artist...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Color Photography
Materials
Metal
Radha and Max on Dirt Road (29 Palms, CA) - analog, Polaroid, Contemporary
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Radha and Max on Dirt Road (29 Palms, CA) diptych - 1999
Edition of 10, plus 2 Artist Proofs.
50x48cm each, 50x102cm together with gap.
2 Archival C-Prints, based on the 2 Polaro...
Category
1990s Contemporary Portrait Photography
Materials
Metal
Cricket on the Nose Scene - Untitled II - 29 Palms, CA, analog, mounted
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
'Untitled II' (Cricket on the Nose Scene) from the 29 Palms, CA series - 2009
56x56cm, Edition 1/5,
analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist, based on a Polaroid
signed on verso,...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Color Photography
Materials
Metal
Felix and Dominique (California Blue Screen) - analog, mounted
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Felix and Dominique (California Blue Screen) - 1997
44x59cm,
sold out Edition of 5, Artist Proof 1/2,
analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist, based on the Polaroid,
Mounted o...
Category
1990s Contemporary Portrait Photography
Materials
Metal
Max, Trailer Park (29 Palms, CA) - analog, Polaroid, Contemporary
By Stefanie Schneider
Located in Morongo Valley, CA
Max, Trailer Park (29 Palms, CA) - 1999
Edition 3/10,
68x60cm including white 'Polaroid' frame.
Analog C-Print, hand-printed by the artist, based on the Polaroid.
Mounted on Alum...
Category
1990s Contemporary Portrait Photography
Materials
Metal
You May Also Like
Elena Washing
By Jack Perno
Located in Chicago, IL
Archival Pigment Print
Edition of 25
Print size: 38 H x 30 W inches
Frame size: 54 H x 44 W inches
This piece is a digital reproduction of an original 8 x 10" polaroid that was man...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Color Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Polaroid
Price Upon Request
Elena Seated
By Jack Perno
Located in Chicago, IL
Archival Pigment Print
Edition of 25
Print size: 38 H x 30 W inches
Frame size: 54 H x 44 W inches
This piece is a digital reproduction of an original 8 x 10" polaroid that was man...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Color Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Inkjet, Polaroid
Price Upon Request
PILL BOX by Tyler Shielsd (45x45in) PROVOCATEUR series
By Tyler Shields
Located in New York City, NY
Los Angeles-based photographer Tyler Shields seeks “beauty in chaos,” capturing both young models and celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton. His polished editorial imag...
Category
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, Archival Paper, C Print
PILL BOX by Tyler Shielsd (30x30in) PROVOCATEUR series
By Tyler Shields
Located in New York City, NY
Los Angeles-based photographer Tyler Shields seeks “beauty in chaos,” capturing both young models and celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton. His polished editorial imag...
Category
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, Archival Paper, C Print
BIRKIN SPLIT by Tyler Shielsd (18x18in) INDULGENCE series
By Tyler Shields
Located in New York City, NY
Los Angeles-based photographer Tyler Shields seeks “beauty in chaos,” capturing both young models and celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton. His polished editorial imag...
Category
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, Archival Paper, C Print
PRADA BUBBLEGUM by Tyler Shielsd (60x60in) INDULGENCE series
By Tyler Shields
Located in New York City, NY
Los Angeles-based photographer Tyler Shields seeks “beauty in chaos,” capturing both young models and celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton. His polished editorial imag...
Category
2010s Contemporary Color Photography
Materials
Plexiglass, Archival Paper, C Print
