Masked Boy on Trike, West Oakland, California after 1963

Joanne Leonard made this photograph, Masked Boy on Trike, West Oakland, California, on a sheet of paper, and it looks like a still from some kind of wild street performance. The boy in the picture, masked and on a trike, is really going somewhere; I can feel it. He’s not just sitting pretty for the camera. I love that circular crop too—like looking through a peephole or a lens, zooming in on this kid’s reality. It feels urgent and raw. The mask adds this layer of drama, right? Is it about hiding, playing, or something deeper? I'm not sure, but it makes you wonder. Leonard captured a moment that feels both personal and universal. It’s about childhood, identity, and maybe a little bit about the masks we all wear, literally or figuratively.