"Making Sense of Documentary Photography"

By James Curtis

(from the Making Sense of Evidence series on History Matters: The U.S. Survey on the Web, located at http://historymatters.gmu.edu)

Alexander Gardner, Rebel Sharpshooter in Devil’s Den, 1863

Alexander Gardner, Rebel Sharpshooter in Devil’s Den, 1863

1. What catches your eye about this photograph?

2. Are there any elements of this photograph that seem too perfect?

3. Why might a photographer in this era take a picture of an injured or dead soldier as opposed to a moving soldier?

William Henry Jackson, Mt of the Holy Cross, 1873

William Henry Jackson, Mt of the Holy Cross, 1873

1. Why do you think this photograph was named as such?

2. What physical elements could have stood in the way of being such an iconic photograph?

3. Why technological issues (consider what you know about

camera technology of the era) could have prevented the photograph from turning out as well as it did?

Jacob A. Riis, Bandit's Roost, 1888

Jacob A. Riis, Bandit's Roost, 1888

1. To whom do you suppose Riis was attempting to appeal in this photograph?

2. What aspects of the photograph’s title can potentially be construed as racist or discriminatory?

3. What sort of feelings or reactions do you believe Riis was trying to inspire in this photograph?

4. What do you notice hanging in the background of the photo?

5. How does this lie in direct contrast to the overall feeling Riis attempted to inspire in this photograph?

6. Are there any other people within the photograph whose presence also lies in direct contrast to the photo’s feeling?

Jacob A. Riis A Growler Gang in Session (Robbing a Lush), 1887

Jacob A. Riis A Growler Gang in Session (Robbing a Lush), 1887

1. Why might Riis have used children in his photographs of NYC immigrants?

2. What does the word ‘lush’ mean used as a noun?

3. What issue do you have with children being characterized as such?

4. What may have been Riis’ purpose in referring to a fighting child as a ‘lush?’

5. Zoom in on the faces of the children, is there anything suspicious? How does this impact the reliability and authenticity of the photograph?

6. Considering what you know about technological limitations of photography during this time period, what else about the photo’s composition may call its reliability into question?

7. How do you predict Riis may have enticed or bribed NYC immigrant children to have their picture taken?

Jacob A. Riis, Street Arabs in Sleeping Quarters, c. 1880s

Jacob A. Riis, Street Arabs in Sleeping Quarters, c. 1880s

1. At what time of day does it appear this photo has been taken?

2. Do you believe these children are actually homeless? Why or why not?

3. Zoom in on their faces, is there anything about their expressions that may cause you to question the reliability or authenticity of the photograph (in regards to whether he is actually capturing homeless/sleeping children)?

Arthur Rothstein, Descendants of former slaves of the Pettway Plantation, Gees Bend, Alabama, 1937

Arthur Rothstein, Descendants of former slaves of the Pettway Plantation, Gees Bend, Alabama, 1937

1. What do you notice in this photograph with regard to the people present? In other words who does it seem may be missing from this family photo?

2. What might have been Rothstein’s purpose in taking a photo with this population missing?

3. In spite of the fact that slavery has been over for over 70 years at the time this was taken what elements of the photo remind the viewer of the slavery era?

4. Overall, what might have been Rothstein’s goal or motivation in taking this photo? What was its purpose, what was he hoping to achieve?

Arthur Rothstein, Home of the Pettways, now inhabited by African-Americans. At Gees Bend, Alabama, 1937

Arthur Rothstein, Home of the Pettways, now inhabited by African-Americans. At Gees Bend, Alabama, 1937

1. How does this photo run opposite to the depiction we saw in the previous photograph?

2. How does this photograph run opposite the written description of Pettway Plantation we read about in the previous slide?

3. What examples do you see in the construction or maintenance of the house that proves the African-American families living at Pettway Plantation were skilled craftspeople?

4. Which photograph of the people at Pettway Plantation do you think did a better job of furthering both the FSA’s and Rothstein’s agenda, the first or second? Why?

Jacob Riis, Five Cents Lodging, Bayard Street, c. 1889

Jacob Riis, Five Cents Lodging, Bayard Street, c. 1889 1. What sort of issues might Riis have faced taking photographs in darkened environments as opposed to

light?

2. What technology might Riis have employed in order to combat the issue faced by taking photographs in a darkened room?

3. Taking your thoughts from #1 and 2 into consideration, why might the reliability of this photograph be called into question?

4. Zoom in on the faces, how would you describe their expressions?

5. How might these expressions further enhanced the message or agenda Riis was hoping to achieve through his photographs?

6. What sort of feelings do you believe photos such as these were meant to arouse in those observing this photograph in 1889?

Walker Evans, 1936 #1

Walker Evans, 1936 #11. What elements of the ways in which the men were posed might lead one to

call the reliability of this photograph into question? 2. What elements happening around the men in the photo could have impacted

the quality or ‘authentic’ nature of the photograph? 3. Walker Evans worked and took photographs for the FSA or Farm Security

Administration a government effort designed to combat American rural poverty during the Depression. How might the FSA’s mission affected Evans as a photographer? Particularly with regard to how he attempted to get his message or agenda across through his photos?

Walker Evans, 1936 #2

Walker Evans, 1936 #21. What differences do you notice between Photo #1 and Photo #2?

2. What do you notice about the skin color of the new (more clearly represented) addition to Photo #2?

3. What purpose or message might Walker Evans have been attempting to get across by including this man in Photo #2?

4. Taking into consideration the time period, and the part of the country in which this photo was taken why would this have been significant?

Russell Lee, Christmas Dinner in Iowa, 1936 (with and without father)

Russell Lee, Christmas Dinner in Iowa, 1936 (with and without father)

1. What feelings or message was Lee attempting to convey through the use of children in these photographs?

2. Why do you suppose Lee had the children standing in the photos as opposed to sitting? How does this help to effectively transmit his message?

3. Which photo more effectively transmits his message, the right or left? Why?

4. Which member of the traditional family is missing from both photographs? How does this further enhance Lee’s ability to transmit his message?

Russell Lee, Mrs. Earl Pauley and some of her children, 1936

Russell Lee, Christmas Dinner in Iowa, 1936 (with and without father)

1. What feelings or message was Lee attempting to convey through the use of children in these photographs?

2. Why do you suppose Lee had the children standing in the photos as opposed to sitting? How does this help to effectively transmit his message?

3. Which photo more effectively transmits his message, the right or left? Why?

4. Which member of the traditional family is missing from both photographs? How does this further enhance Lee’s ability to transmit his message?

Lewis Hine, One Arm and Four Children, 1910

Lewis Hine, One Arm and Four Children, 19101. How most likely did the man in the photograph lose his arm?

2. What message or story might Hine have been attempting to convey by using a one armed father in this photograph?

3. What do you suppose was Hine’s goal or agenda in terms of capturing and publishing this photograph?

4. What does the loss of the father’s arm potentially mean for the future of his family?

5. How do the expressions on the faces of the children and the mother help to further convey this message?

6. Do you find Hine’s label for this photo to be an effective method for conveying his message or story? Why or why not?

Russell Lee, Mexican Father and Children, 1939

Russell Lee, Mexican Father and Children, 1939 1. Which member of the traditional American family is conspicuously absent from all four photographs?

2. Do you believe this member was not an actually a part of the family? Using at least one of the four photographs, and specific details of the photograph explain why or why not you believe this is the case.

3. What element is suspicious about Figure 3? Why is it suspicious?

4. What message or story is Lee hoping to convey through these photographs? Consider the state and condition of both the home and the characters?

5. How does the attire of the father and the daughter run in direct opposition to the message or story that Lee is hoping to convey?

Russell Lee, Mexican Father and Children, 1939 6. How does the message or story in this series of photographs relate to Lee’s photographs of the

Pauley family in Iowa?

7. How does the message or story in this series of photographs relate to Rothstein’s photos of the Pettway Plantation in Gees Bend, Alabama?

8. What do you suppose the little girl is highlighting in Figure 4? (hint, the photos were taken during Lent)

9. In all likelihood which member of the family (either present or missing) set up this display from Question #8? Why do you believe it may have been this family member (either present or missing)?

10. Overall, how does this series of images relate to what you know about the opinion held by many Americans from this time period regarding immigrants?

Final Questions1. Using evidence from the presentation or the historical (black and white) photographs

provide and describe three examples of the ways in which technology or the lack thereof negatively impacted the reliability of the photographs in question.

2. Using evidence from the presentation or the historical (black and white) photographs provide and describe three examples of the ways in which the documentary photographer’s message or agenda negatively impacted the reliability of the photographs in question.

3. Explain in your own words what it means to be a documentary photographer, and rewrite the captions of three historical (black and white) photographs from the presentation that would make the photos examples of true, authentic, and real documentary photography.