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An Inhabitant of Cairo Streets
Continue ReadingI took our photograph through the windshield of a taxi on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. Our subject is well-groomed considering he spends much of his life cleaning streets with primitive equipment. Off the boulevards he no doubt lives in cramped, poorly-maintained housing, lacking private amenities. In spite of this he has trimmed his beard, […]
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From the Ghost Collection — A North American Frontiersman
Continue ReadingHe is Pre-American (before nationhood) therefore a stateless subject of the English King. His buckskin — and the improvised uniform lacking insignia — give him away. Beyond the determination evident in the way he holds his mouth, our subject gives us only enigmatical indications of his present state of mind. He has dropped in from […]
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A Disturbing Artifact of the Wild West
Continue ReadingWhen wandering a museum in the Southwestern United States, one expects reminders of bygone rugged lives, curated to local standards of conservative taste, intended to produce only mild provocations. I explored the exhibits in this archive anticipating relaxation — then this horror of an object confronted me. The outline and condition of the thing jolts […]
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Ghost Musician Near the Sunflower River
Continue ReadingThe Sunflower River flows serpentine-fashion through Clarksdale, Mississippi. In the same curvaceous manner it runs north and south out of the city among surrounding fields — planted mostly in cotton. I talked for an hour by the water with the subject of our street-portrait before making this image. I cannot remember his regular name or […]
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A Luckless Great Depression Family
Continue ReadingAs a child whenever possible I asked the adults around me for details about common ancestors and living family members. Not everyone complied in a forthcoming manner; some lacked interest in history altogether, while others clammed up for undisclosed personal reasons. The three people in our image — and everyone who knew them in life […]
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