WWII, August 1944, Shoes Dropped by Allies Behind the Front Line to Fighting after 1944

Constance Stuart Larrabee made this photograph in August 1944, during WWII. The monochrome palette brings a documentary feel to the image, but look closer, and you will notice the image possesses a sensitive compositional approach. The man is at rest, but armed, and caught in a moment of undress – the formal boots cast to the side. His feet are clad in uncomfortable looking shoes, and you can almost feel the weight of those boots in his hand. This photograph works with a strong contrast of textures, the surface of the skin, worn leather, raw wood. Look at the grain of the wood and the way the light falls on it, drawing the eye down the plane of the image. It's this attention to light that reveals Larrabee's background in portraiture. I'm reminded of the work of fellow photographer, Dorothea Lange, in the way that she captures the human form amid the chaos of life. It’s about revealing the dignity of the human experience at times of crisis, an embrace of ambiguity, and multiple interpretations.