Untitled 1910

Lewis Hine made this photograph, its title is unknown, and we don’t know exactly when, but let's just dive in. It's a photograph of an interior, and immediately you're struck by the blacks and whites and all the grays in between. The image looks like a stage set. The light feels almost like a character here. You can feel the grain of the wood that makes up the walls. See those cloths hanging there? It's almost as if they're floating in the middle of nowhere. The texture is a bit rough, like you could reach out and feel the splinters in the wood. It's this texture that almost makes it a tactile experience, not just a visual one. It feels like a painting, too, or maybe a memory. I'm reminded of Walker Evans and his straightforward, documentary style. This photograph is like that, but with a touch of the surreal. Hine and Evans share a common thread, but I think that Hine has a dreamier, more theatrical, quality. Art's a conversation, and this is a fascinating chapter.