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American Snapshots
This is the first page in an eight page "open letter" to my deceased mother. Click on the
image to enlarge and read.
image to enlarge and read.
Below are seven sample pages from the book which consists of 144 pages and
103 photographs. At top is the first page of the Introduction (Part I) followed by six
image pages from Part II. My corresponding notes for each image, which are presented
separately in the book in Part III, appear adjacent to each image here below.
103 photographs. At top is the first page of the Introduction (Part I) followed by six
image pages from Part II. My corresponding notes for each image, which are presented
separately in the book in Part III, appear adjacent to each image here below.
1. Front: "APR 75" Back: "Margaret Kenneth"
1. ["Margaret Kenneth"]
This is the snapshot that started it all for me. I bought it in a junk shop somewhere in
Tennessee. That, combined with the fact that, in more ways than one, life starts with romance,
makes this the perfect starting point for the collection presented here.
The downward-slanting, somewhat elementary cursive handwriting on the back is in light
pencil. Since "Margaret" is written first and "Kenneth" underneath, I assume that one of
Margaret's family members, her mother or a sister perhaps, took the picture. With a loupe I can
see that they are both wearing wedding rings. They appear to be so young, teenagers perhaps,
that I wonder whether it might have been a forced marriage. The date is April, 1957. Have they
just gotten married? Are they headed off on their honeymoon? Does, or will, the young man
work in the coal mines? In any event, this is pure snapshot and the magic is powerful. The bare
light bulb and string at the top of the photo are nearly indispensable. Without it, the power of
the image is significantly diminished since it helps describe both the likely low-income
background of the couple and the amateur skills of the photographer. Also, this photograph was
undoubtedly made with an inexpensive rangefinder camera with an inferior lens. This is easy to
tell because the subjects are off-center and the image is in-focus only in the central region. The
wood paneling, curtains, door, and what appears to be a coat hook on the wall, act in concert to
reveal telling context. Add to that the fashions – Margaret's short bangs and possible homemade
dress, in particular – and it strikes me that this is one for the museum. I'd love to know what
kind of car they're driving, and what the view is out that door.
1. ["Margaret Kenneth"]
This is the snapshot that started it all for me. I bought it in a junk shop somewhere in
Tennessee. That, combined with the fact that, in more ways than one, life starts with romance,
makes this the perfect starting point for the collection presented here.
The downward-slanting, somewhat elementary cursive handwriting on the back is in light
pencil. Since "Margaret" is written first and "Kenneth" underneath, I assume that one of
Margaret's family members, her mother or a sister perhaps, took the picture. With a loupe I can
see that they are both wearing wedding rings. They appear to be so young, teenagers perhaps,
that I wonder whether it might have been a forced marriage. The date is April, 1957. Have they
just gotten married? Are they headed off on their honeymoon? Does, or will, the young man
work in the coal mines? In any event, this is pure snapshot and the magic is powerful. The bare
light bulb and string at the top of the photo are nearly indispensable. Without it, the power of
the image is significantly diminished since it helps describe both the likely low-income
background of the couple and the amateur skills of the photographer. Also, this photograph was
undoubtedly made with an inexpensive rangefinder camera with an inferior lens. This is easy to
tell because the subjects are off-center and the image is in-focus only in the central region. The
wood paneling, curtains, door, and what appears to be a coat hook on the wall, act in concert to
reveal telling context. Add to that the fashions – Margaret's short bangs and possible homemade
dress, in particular – and it strikes me that this is one for the museum. I'd love to know what
kind of car they're driving, and what the view is out that door.
10. [none]
Here is a man who dearly loves his son. Evidently made sometime in the late 30s or later,
judging from the auto, this is the kind of loving snapshot that causes me to wonder about the
family. Where are they now? Is the boy alive and well? Why did this photo end up for sale? It
appears to be a rural environment and this, a modest working man. His jacket has holes, he's
wearing denim, and there are rubber overshoes on the plank deck behind him. It looks like he's
holding a diaper bag. Is he picking up his son from a babysitter? Did the boy's mother take the
picture as they were heading into town? Regardless, the boy is held securely in the good, strong,
and loving hands of his dad.
Here is a man who dearly loves his son. Evidently made sometime in the late 30s or later,
judging from the auto, this is the kind of loving snapshot that causes me to wonder about the
family. Where are they now? Is the boy alive and well? Why did this photo end up for sale? It
appears to be a rural environment and this, a modest working man. His jacket has holes, he's
wearing denim, and there are rubber overshoes on the plank deck behind him. It looks like he's
holding a diaper bag. Is he picking up his son from a babysitter? Did the boy's mother take the
picture as they were heading into town? Regardless, the boy is held securely in the good, strong,
and loving hands of his dad.
34. "1927"
Well, things have changed and here's the proof. Helmet, uniform, and football have all
undergone a bit of evolution in the 80+ years since this photo was made. Look at that football!
Is the boy in the middle a brother of one or both of the younger lads, or is he a neighborhood
hero? It's always fun to examine the backgrounds in these snapshots because the snapshot
photographer is often too preoccupied with the immediate subject to pay much attention to it.
In this case, there's the big frame house and the old car, of course, but a magnifying glass or a
loupe reveals a phantom – a smiling, onlooking woman in a white dress inside the screen door in
the background. Is she a neighbor or the guardian angel mother of one or more of the boys?
Well, things have changed and here's the proof. Helmet, uniform, and football have all
undergone a bit of evolution in the 80+ years since this photo was made. Look at that football!
Is the boy in the middle a brother of one or both of the younger lads, or is he a neighborhood
hero? It's always fun to examine the backgrounds in these snapshots because the snapshot
photographer is often too preoccupied with the immediate subject to pay much attention to it.
In this case, there's the big frame house and the old car, of course, but a magnifying glass or a
loupe reveals a phantom – a smiling, onlooking woman in a white dress inside the screen door in
the background. Is she a neighbor or the guardian angel mother of one or more of the boys?
91. [none]
This snapshot portrait, presumably by the proud owner of a new automobile (or maybe a
child in the family, since the perspective is so low), appears to have been made while the
subject was parallel parked curbside. There is what seems to be a street with other cars parallel
parked in the distance, barely visible through the over-exposed right side of the print. Despite
the severe technical flaws, this is another image that works for all the wrong reasons. It is a
beautiful off-center black and white portrait of a post-WWII prosperity automobile, showing
off parts of the chrome architecture of the bumper and grill, and the sculptural form of fender,
hood, and windshield. Nevertheless, the camera is seriously flawed with an inferior lens and
probable light leaks. It's easy to see that the focus area is small, centered, and falls off sharply
toward the edges. The overexposed areas at the bottom and right are probably leaks in the back
of the camera due to a loading door that doesn't close securely, but it could also be due to a
loosely re-wound or carelessly handled roll of film after its removal from the camera.
Regardless, this is yet another example of an American snapshot that has all the wrong things
going right for it.
This snapshot portrait, presumably by the proud owner of a new automobile (or maybe a
child in the family, since the perspective is so low), appears to have been made while the
subject was parallel parked curbside. There is what seems to be a street with other cars parallel
parked in the distance, barely visible through the over-exposed right side of the print. Despite
the severe technical flaws, this is another image that works for all the wrong reasons. It is a
beautiful off-center black and white portrait of a post-WWII prosperity automobile, showing
off parts of the chrome architecture of the bumper and grill, and the sculptural form of fender,
hood, and windshield. Nevertheless, the camera is seriously flawed with an inferior lens and
probable light leaks. It's easy to see that the focus area is small, centered, and falls off sharply
toward the edges. The overexposed areas at the bottom and right are probably leaks in the back
of the camera due to a loading door that doesn't close securely, but it could also be due to a
loosely re-wound or carelessly handled roll of film after its removal from the camera.
Regardless, this is yet another example of an American snapshot that has all the wrong things
going right for it.
67. [none]
It's hard to say whether this is a snapshot by an amateur, or not. The woman appears to be
relaxed and assuming a pose, so I wonder if she might be a professional model. Although there is
no writing on the photo, its size and the fact that it is heavily creased and slightly blurred gives
it an informal feel consistent with snapshots. I found this one in a cardboard box full of loose
photos in a shop in Tucson. More than anyone else herein, this woman has no voice precisely
because of the loud self-righteous judgment of others – deafening even as I write. And yet she is
every woman who has ever, or who will ever, live. Far more than only arousing mere prurient
interest, she is Eve, Venus, and Mother Earth. She is Goethe's Eternal Feminine. She is female
essence of life, itself. What would she say about the photograph today? Would she blush?
Would she smile? Would she be proud of her once youthful body or would she be embarrassed
by her immodesty? Both? For the sake of realism and pride in essence, would she ask to be
photographed again, today? Should one revile her, honor and respect her, or should one pity
her? Who would revile her, who would honor and respect her, who would pity her, and what
does it say about that person? I know nothing about the details of her life, but this woman is
my mother, my sister, and my daughter. More to the point, she is our mother, our sister, and
our daughter. She, as all women, is woman, and I honor and love her as a member of our family.
As I return her voice, she speaks to me. Listen . . .
It's hard to say whether this is a snapshot by an amateur, or not. The woman appears to be
relaxed and assuming a pose, so I wonder if she might be a professional model. Although there is
no writing on the photo, its size and the fact that it is heavily creased and slightly blurred gives
it an informal feel consistent with snapshots. I found this one in a cardboard box full of loose
photos in a shop in Tucson. More than anyone else herein, this woman has no voice precisely
because of the loud self-righteous judgment of others – deafening even as I write. And yet she is
every woman who has ever, or who will ever, live. Far more than only arousing mere prurient
interest, she is Eve, Venus, and Mother Earth. She is Goethe's Eternal Feminine. She is female
essence of life, itself. What would she say about the photograph today? Would she blush?
Would she smile? Would she be proud of her once youthful body or would she be embarrassed
by her immodesty? Both? For the sake of realism and pride in essence, would she ask to be
photographed again, today? Should one revile her, honor and respect her, or should one pity
her? Who would revile her, who would honor and respect her, who would pity her, and what
does it say about that person? I know nothing about the details of her life, but this woman is
my mother, my sister, and my daughter. More to the point, she is our mother, our sister, and
our daughter. She, as all women, is woman, and I honor and love her as a member of our family.
As I return her voice, she speaks to me. Listen . . .
75. "JAN 64"
Did this snapshot fall out of Edward Hopper's journal? Regardless, he is a solitary traveler
and he is in a café or bus stop, seemingly at night, with that Hopper aura of lonely solitude.
Barely visible in the dark, off of his right elbow and perhaps down some stairs, is a man
wearing a service cap of some sort, like Greyhound bus drivers once wore. Is this then, a bus
stop, and he, a passenger? Is he seated at a diner counter? In the foreground, I recognize a
commercial salt shaker from the period. It looks like he's just lit a cigarette. With the aid of a
loupe I see that the cigarettes in the now-outlawed cigarette vending machine in the background
are 30¢ per pack. I recently noticed that they are about $4 per pack at the grocery. There is a
pathetic-looking plant on top of the cigarette machine with a foil-wrapped pot. The man is
dressed for cold weather and the photo is dated JAN 64, so I wonder if that is a leftover
Christmas poinsettia. Other items in the background appear to be a couple of other small
potted plants and a Budweiser wall sconce. Who is this man, why was this snapshot taken,
and by whom? It's an ordinary moment in the life of an anonymous, transient nation.
Did this snapshot fall out of Edward Hopper's journal? Regardless, he is a solitary traveler
and he is in a café or bus stop, seemingly at night, with that Hopper aura of lonely solitude.
Barely visible in the dark, off of his right elbow and perhaps down some stairs, is a man
wearing a service cap of some sort, like Greyhound bus drivers once wore. Is this then, a bus
stop, and he, a passenger? Is he seated at a diner counter? In the foreground, I recognize a
commercial salt shaker from the period. It looks like he's just lit a cigarette. With the aid of a
loupe I see that the cigarettes in the now-outlawed cigarette vending machine in the background
are 30¢ per pack. I recently noticed that they are about $4 per pack at the grocery. There is a
pathetic-looking plant on top of the cigarette machine with a foil-wrapped pot. The man is
dressed for cold weather and the photo is dated JAN 64, so I wonder if that is a leftover
Christmas poinsettia. Other items in the background appear to be a couple of other small
potted plants and a Budweiser wall sconce. Who is this man, why was this snapshot taken,
and by whom? It's an ordinary moment in the life of an anonymous, transient nation.
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