Subway Portrait 1938 - 1941

Walker Evans's "Subway Portrait" is a striking example of his signature documentary style. Taken between 1938 and 1941, this black and white photograph captures a moment of quiet contemplation on a New York City subway. The stark composition, with its focus on the two anonymous figures—an elderly woman gazing directly at the camera and a man absorbed in his newspaper—highlights the everyday realities of urban life. The photograph's realism and sense of isolation have made it one of Evans's most iconic works.