Wells Street, Chicago after 1949

Editor: This is Harry Callahan's "Wells Street, Chicago," a black and white photograph. There's something haunting about the building's facade with its broken windows and boarded-up openings. What stories do you think Callahan was trying to capture here? Curator: It's a powerful image, isn't it? Callahan’s choice to focus on urban decay invites us to consider the social and economic realities of the city. What does it mean to have windows broken, a door that leads nowhere, or a fire escape that's unused? Editor: It feels like a commentary on abandonment and neglect. Curator: Precisely. Think about the historical context – what was happening in Chicago at the time this image was made? Urban flight? Shifting demographics? Callahan's work often intersects with these larger societal narratives. Editor: So, it's not just a picture of a building; it's a reflection on the city's social fabric. Curator: Exactly. It prompts us to question who is seen and unseen, valued and devalued, within urban spaces. What do you make of that central boarded up window now? Editor: That's really changed my perspective. I see it as a critique of urban inequality and the structures that perpetuate it. Thank you.