In
this picture is a family with serious facial expressions that give off the
impression that they are not very happy and do not know what to expect next. It
appears that all of their belongings are packed up in their car and the family
is on a journey to a new place that does not offer much happiness. This looks
like a young family by the physical appearance of the mother and her young
kids. At first I thought it was a family with a single mother, but then I
noticed the hand on the right side of the picture on the car, which leads me to
believe that there is also a father making a long trip with his family. Since
they have so many belongings packed into the car and their clothes do not look
tattered they probably have not yet experienced some of the hardships of the
Great Depression like some other families. Also in the back of the picture
there is a sign with the word “pioneer”, which could be referring to the many
other families that are also moving in the hopes of looking for jobs.
The lighting seems to be more focused on the car and the items packed on it. The faces are hard to see because the light is shining on
them. It is like they are looking into the distance for what their future might
hold, but because they are squinting so much because of the sun it could
symbolize that the future is hard to see. By the photographer positioning
herself in front and slightly to the side, it allows the viewer to get a
glimpse of what the travelers might be feelings and have experienced. I think
it is interesting that she chose to not include everyone in the picture. Since
I did not notice the other person I felt a lot of sympathy for the family
because I believed that she was a single mother with three young kids. The mood
seems to be serious and unknowing. Each member is taking in the atmosphere and
not making any steps towards unpacking. From this picture I can learn that there
was a lot of uncertainty during this time, and even though not everyone was completely
poor, there was still a lot of questioning and unhappiness in the people.
At first when looking at the picture you posted, I did not see the hand, and I thought this was a single mother with her two children packing for a long journey. Reading your blog made me taker a deeper look at the picture, and I finally did notice the hand. This left an impression on me because at first I felt that the mother was hard at work to help provide for her children, but seeing another hand makes me have hope for this family, because there is someone else that can provide for them as well. Looking at this picture I am wondering what kind of life they are living, and like you stated above maybe this family hasn’t faced many hardships yet. The Great Depression was a horrible time for people, and this picture makes me hope that this family did not have to suffer as many hardships as other Americans.
ReplyDeleteWithout understanding the context of this photo it looked to me that this photo is an image of a family in the middle of a family vacation. Although no one in the photo looks particularly excited, the children really look like they don't want to be there. For example, the little boy is not even looking forward for the photo. However, the look on the mothers face doesn't exactly scream that she is thrilled there is something in the gesture of her jaw that says "we are going to get through this and this move is the best thing for my family." I did notice the hand in the photograph and I wonder why the photographer shot that person out. My guess is that it is the dad with a smile ear to ear because this move was his idea. My next question is what is behind the family's vehicle? To me it can possibly be the sky but why does it seem so lifeless?
ReplyDeleteWith everything packed up the family is in a definite financial crisis. They are probably doing like most other families are doing at the time and that is just bouncing around from one work site to another. If the hand is the father, he is most likely the one working and at least the eldest child looks old enough to help her mom with the children when their father is out at work.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the “Pioneer Sign”, I feel it is the symbol for this time of new pioneers, such as this family, that might have been the first people to have to completing change their way of living to adjust to the Depression and the constant moving from place to place to find work.
I like how much attention Heather pays to light in this image. Much of her interpretation connects with the sunlight, including how it makes seeing the people's eyes difficult. The packed vehicle and stares into the distance definitely communicate movement. As Heather says, however, where (metaphorically) they are headed and what the future holds are uncertain, which increases the overall anxiety present in this photograph. I think y'all are right to speculate about the cropping of this image and what it is we aren't seeing---as well as why we aren't seeing it.
ReplyDelete