James Mathis, Amherst Foundry (Working People series) 1979

Milton Rogovin made this gelatin silver print of James Mathis in the Amherst Foundry as part of his Working People series. It's a black and white photo, grainy, which gives it a real texture, and it's a portrait—but what kind of portrait is it? I wonder if the sitter, Mathis, had a say in the setting. The backdrop is all wood paneling, mirrors, and ornate lamps. It seems like a domestic space, not what I would expect for a series on working people. But, then again, we are all working people in domestic spaces, right? I imagine Rogovin finding beauty in unexpected places, framing the everyday with a sense of dignity. There's a tension here between the industrial world and personal identity. The composition and subject bring to mind the photography of someone like Dorothea Lange, who was interested in depicting people amidst hardship. Rogovin's work reminds us that art is not just about what you see but how you see it. It’s about the ongoing conversation between the artist, the subject, and the viewer across time.