Robert Gould Shaw Memorial c. 1973 - 2008

This photograph of the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial was made by Richard Benson, who was a master of photographic printing. Looking at this image, I feel like Benson wasn't just documenting, he was responding. There’s a real physical presence, a kind of grit, in the way the light catches on every face, every fold of fabric. I imagine him in the darkroom, coaxing these tones out, layer by layer, revealing the weight and texture of the memorial. You know, it’s like when you’re painting and you keep adding layers, each one altering the whole thing, until suddenly it clicks. I wonder if Benson felt a similar kind of 'click' when he printed this. I wonder if he felt the weight of history, the burden, the story these men carry with them. It’s like he’s saying, "Look, this is real. This happened. These men mattered." It’s a quiet kind of revolution, one image at a time. And that's what all artists do, isn't it? We keep the conversation going.