This photograph was taken by Arthur Rothstein during The Great Depression. it depicts a negro mother holding her infant child. The first thing I noticed about this picture, was that it depicts a moment of happiness during a time in the country when times were tough for everyone. With this depiction centering around a mother and her young infant child, I get a feeling of unity and serenity, this is also emphasized by the other members of the family in the background. I can see in this photo that the vantage point is on level with the people being taken, which to me symbolizes a certain kind of equality in the essence of the picture. This picture to me symbolizes the bond of a family during hard times. Though times during this period in the US were very tough and unforgiving for the majority of folks, this photo shows that people could still live and be joyous.
I feel that this photo showed me a side of that period I was not familiar with, I had always thought of The Great Depression as being this horrible, depressing event, but this provides me a view of it that shows even during such a time, people can still find time to be happy. The sun shining on the woman really emphasizes the brightness, the joyfulness of the situation. I also notice in the photo how there is an older white man in the background. Though his relationship to the negro family is undetermined, I get the feeling there is some sort of bond between him and them, this to me shows the general attachment some people had to each other during this time period, regardless of their background.
I think that Arthur Rothstein took this photo to show a lighter side of The Great Depression, to show a simple moment of joy between a mother and child, that even during such a had time, being with your family smiling can make things just a little bit better.
Trevor,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your thoughts about the mother and her baby. I too was surprised to see such a thoughtful picture of a time period that has connotation of sadness and pain. Rothstein did a great job of portraying the resilience of the Gee’s Bend community. The two things I noticed first in the picture were the mother’s teeth (smile) and her large bicep muscles. Strength was a word that came to my mind after noticing the woman’s physical features. Thinking of all the turmoil in her past and somehow seeing the “light” you also spoke of that surrounds her face was a beautiful symbolism of hope for her future. To me, the photo showed not only joy between the two in the forefront but as you suggested the coming together of two individual groups of people to interact with one another in a positive way.
-Caroline
Trevor & Caroline,
ReplyDeleteThe very first thing I noticed about the photograph was the mother's arm muscles. Not only men, but women obviously worked very hard in this community during this time period. I completely agree with Caroline that she is beaming and exudes strength and hopefulness. I also agree with Trevor in that this photograph displays another side of the Great Depression that I have never seen before. I would like to know where exactly this photograph took place because of the white man in the background. The majority of the photographs were solely of African Americans, and during this time period, in the South, it would be interesting to know how whites and blacks interacted with each other in this community.
Trevor,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the photograph you chose and the happiness it portrays. I agree with your opinion that Arthur Rothstein took this photo to display the happiness and joy still within the families during the period of the Great Depression at Gee’s Bend. I have read so many books and articles on how poorly the white man treated the black, but as you stated, I feel as if there is some sort of positive connection between this white man watching the mother with her child. The focus on how happy she is shows me that no matter how hard times were, there were still things that brought pure bliss into their lives. I also notice the other woman in the background smiling, and I feel as if the photo as a whole is centered around the true joy of family and friends.
Trevor provides a nice summary of how his expectations regarding artifacts from the Great Depression were complicated by this image. I think you're right about the feeling of family and security that this image portrays because everyone, including the white man on the right, seems to celebrate this child. Allie also poses an interesting question about the nature of African American and white relations during this time. One thing that strikes me while reading all of your comments is how healthy, overall, this woman looks. In addition to having clean clothes, she also has good muscle tone, styled hair, and seemingly perfect teeth. Her physicality definitely seems to support Trevor's interpretation.
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