Florestine Carson, unemployed Creole Negro trapper, and daughter 1935

Ben made this photograph, Florestine Carson, unemployed Creole Negro trapper, and daughter, sometime during his life, using film and photography paper, and a dark room of course. What interests me most is the way Ben captures how exhausting life can be. The texture of the wood, the faded material of their clothes, and the bare feet, all speak to a life lived close to the earth, yet touched by the harshness of reality. The light and shadow play across their faces, highlighting the lines etched by time and hardship. Look at how the daughter props herself up, heavy on her palm, and then consider the father fully outstretched, this arrangement lends the scene a feeling of weary resignation. There is an intimacy to the scene, but also a palpable sense of struggle. It reminds me a little of Walker Evans, who worked around the same time; both photographers sharing an interest in documenting American lives. Art is a conversation, right? An ongoing process of seeing and responding to the world around us.