Joseph Welch, Boston, Massachusetts after 1954

Gordon Parks made this photograph of Joseph Welch in Boston, sometime in the middle of the last century. It looks like it was made with a camera, some film, and a darkroom. There's a real emphasis here on shape and texture, from the frills of the curtain to the square pattern of the sitter's shirt. Parks is interested in the contrast between these different areas. Take Welch's hand for instance, the soft flesh of his skin is creased with age, yet it seems sturdy, strong. This is contrasted with the softness of the voile-like curtain, which is light and almost ethereal. The formal composition draws your eye around the photograph, weaving in and out of these contrasting shapes, tones and textures. Parks, like other photographers such as Lisette Model, finds the extraordinary in the ordinary, and like their work, this piece feels both deeply personal and historically relevant.