Staten Island, New York 1962

Curator: Today, we're examining William Carter's gelatin-silver print, "Staten Island, New York," from 1962. Editor: Wow. Just…wow. It’s moody, almost confrontational. This little girl is giving us a look that could curdle milk. Makes you wonder what’s going on behind those eyes. Curator: Indeed. Compositionally, Carter employs a tightly framed portrait. The stark monochrome enhances the tonal range, emphasizing textures from the girl's plaid dress to the kitchenware in the background. Note the vertical alignment, broken only by the subjects asymmetrical posture and windswept hair. Editor: You're right about the dress. It feels like an armor she’s wearing, all those tiny details protecting her. And the stove! My grandma had one just like it, so solid and dependable it was almost another member of the family. The framing squeezes everything inward making you feel locked inside that moment with her. It’s pretty intense. Curator: Consider the thematic tension between the domesticity suggested by the kitchen setting and the girl's undeniably defiant expression. Carter complicates a straightforward narrative, presenting a potent psychological study. It challenges viewers to construct a story beyond what's immediately visible. Editor: That’s exactly it. You think about this young person, and that heavy black and white—it all adds up to something… timeless. It is simple and deep, hinting at something way beyond this specific little girl standing in the kitchen. The simplicity, the textures, the gaze – the picture has really got you thinking. It feels so familiar and mysterious at once, like a dream you almost remember. Curator: Agreed, an exceptional example of how the genre of portraiture intersects with a nuanced perspective on its subject’s inner state. Editor: This photo is something special, for sure. It’s got teeth, that picture, which you never really see anymore.