Lee Masters, dairy farmer. Cooperstown, New York. 1946

Gordon Parks captured "Lee Masters, dairy farmer" in Cooperstown, New York, using his camera, though the exact date remains unrecorded. Notice the window: a frame not only of the house but also of Lee Masters's life, inviting us to look into his world. The wheel, resting on the window's edge, is a potent symbol of life's cyclical nature and labor. The wheel echoes through time—think of Fortuna’s wheel, a symbol of fate in classical art, or the wheel of life in Buddhist imagery. Here, the wheel is not in motion but static, reflecting a moment of pause or perhaps stagnation. The weathered textures evoke a sense of endurance, tapping into deep-seated emotions. The wheel, in its stillness, suggests a powerful, subconscious reminder of time's unrelenting passage. This image is more than just a portrait, it is a study of existence, where symbols of the past meet the stark realities of the present, inviting reflection and evoking profound emotional connections.