In this
photograph we see five children standing at the door of their home. The old
screen door is ripped with some of the children sticking their heads out
through the holes. It appears that the hinges are barely holding the door up. A
piece of the siding next to the door is splitting, further demonstrating the
house’s somewhat decayed state. The children are all dressed very plainly, but
all seem to be wearing jackets; perhaps this is to ward off the cold air.
The
children are all crowded near the door, practically on top of one another. This
is likely a way of showing their cramped living conditions in what is possibly
a small home. As the children vary in height, the vantage point of the picture
is eye-level with some of the children, while being above or below the others.
Perhaps this is to show that just as white people range in status and character
the same can be said of African Americans.
Most of the
children have a look of sadness or disappointment on their face. It is possible
that they are upset because of their living conditions. The lighting causes the
faces of the children behind the screen to be cast in shadow. Their shadowed
expressions add to the overall gloomy and depressing mood of this photo.
As a whole
the photographer seems to be portraying a scene of poor living conditions. He
is attempting to highlight the economic and social injustice that has befallen
this family. The five children are crowded in a home that is quite nearly in
shambles and they all seem to be quite unhappy with the cards that they have
been dealt by society. The photographer likely intended this photo to represent
all of the families who were suffering during the rough economic times of the
1930s.
Perhaps the small children poking their heads out of the broken down screen door is indicating the escape from oppression and the run down state of the segregated America that they live in. In just the literal photograph you can see that the conditions of this home aren't up to par. They are obviously suffering to keep the house in good working condition. None of these children look too happy and especially the tallest and most likely oldest child in the back looking down on the other children. I think this symbolizes the hard working conditions that the black population is facing and that the eldest child is left to care for the younger ones while the parents are out working. The different vantage points could point to there being different levels of social class in the black community as there is in the white community as you pointed out. The gloomy feel of the picture expresses that there is something wrong with society
ReplyDeleteBilly, I definitely agree that this is a sad photograph. It is clear that this family is in shambles and may be suffering in more ways than one. I think that it does reflect their living conditions as well as what they had to go through at that point in time with the economy. I did not think that the vantage point had a significant meaning for this photograph however; your opinion offers a very valid point that I agree with. I can see that this particular family suffers from many hardships, and I think it says something that each child is either looking down upon another or looking away from each other like something else is consuming them.
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