First National Bank, South Dakota 1941

This gelatin silver print of The First National Bank in South Dakota was captured by Dorothea Lange. The building's facade, with its dark gridded windows, arches over a white door. It’s like a face, but also feels remote and a little sad. Look down to the sign enclosed by a small picket fence. It asks people to donate aluminium for defence. I can imagine Lange setting up her camera, carefully framing the shot to capture not just the building, but also this sign of the times. The light is very flat and she hasn’t tried to glamourize things. It is all somehow factual, yet still deeply imbued with feeling. I like to think about the conversation between artists across time, inspiring each other's creative expressions. It reminds me of Walker Evans, or even more recently, Ruff’s series of photographs of American buildings. It shows how much you can communicate without sentimentality. A very touching, simple image.