Member of the congregation of Wheeley's church who is called "Queen." She is wearing the old fashioned type of sunbonnet. Her dress and apron were made at home. Near Gordonton, North Carolina after 1939

Dorothea Lange made this photographic print of a woman called "Queen" somewhere near Gordonton, North Carolina. Looking at this image, I imagine Lange positioning herself just so, trying to capture something essential. The light falls flat, but it models Queen's face softly. You know, it reminds me of those no-nonsense portraits from the Depression era, like Walker Evans’s work. But this feels more intimate. The details are amazing. The handmade bonnet with its delicate ruffles frames her face, casting a shadow that accentuates the depth of her eyes. She stares right at you; Lange captures a sense of resilience, but also a quiet dignity. I wonder what Queen was thinking. Artists like Lange and Evans, they’re all in conversation, you know? Trying to make sense of the world. They were all trying to capture the essence of a time, a place, a feeling. It’s not about perfection; it’s about truth, and a glimpse of humanity in the everyday.