Hitchhiker? Maybe. “Bound For Jackson (Mississippi)“; Mississippi (April 1955). Reminds us of the song “Jackson” sung by Johnny Cash and June Carter (1967). “We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout – We’ve been talkin’ ’bout Jackson ever since the fire went out….”
At first glance you may not realize the significance of this image. We see a man on a staircase overlooking a railing. Only when we discover that the location is San Sebastián, Spain does the picture become clearer. This is Basque Country and the Basques are treated like second class citizens. Recently, the Basques have voted for independence only to be denied once again by the ruling Spanish government. When we observe the poverty surrounding the man in this image, “The Basques” c.1933, we begin to understand the reason for the Basque separatist movement.
The most recent addition to our Atlantic City collection is “Atlantic City Boardwalk“. This was a souvenir photo taken by the G. Dobkin Studio in Atlantic City for the gentlemen shown walking on the boardwalk. For us at DPI the remaining question is how accurate can we be in placing the exact location and date of the photo?
This proved to be relatively straightforward. A good starting point would be to argue that the date of the photo is approximately 1940 based upon the dress of the people. Although slightly out of focus the Stanley Theater is still visible. The theater was located at Kentucky Avenue and the boardwalk. What is more difficult but not impossible to determine is the listing on the theater marquee. Careful examination reveals a movie starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. The movie is “Notorious” so we can conclude that the date of the photo coincides with the release of this film, August 1946. Assuming that this is not a rerun, of course.
Inspired by the iconic image, “Migrant Mother”, taken by Dorothea Lange in Nipomo, California (1936), we present “Log Cabin Mother“; Appalachia c.1918. Whenever we make a humble attempt to compare any of our images to those taken by master photojournalists from the past, we do so with the intent to keep their spirits alive for all of us and as an homage to their contribution to documentary photography. See the back story on Florence Owens Thompson (Migrant Mother).
“Migrant Mother” by Dorothea Lange, Nipomo, California (1936).