Untitled (Baptism) c. 1930s

This small, snapshot sized, black and white photograph of a baptism was made by an anonymous photographer at an unknown time. The entire image is a study in tone, and the way light bounces off the water, the clothing of the subjects, and the riverbank behind them. I am struck by how the water acts like a mirror, reflecting and distorting at the same time. It’s almost like a painting where the artist has used thin washes of grey to build up the image, letting the white of the paper shine through. Look closely and you can see how the texture of the water is captured in the light and shadow, each ripple and wave carefully delineated, and then smudged by the water itself. This piece reminds me of the work of Roy DeCarava, who was a master of using light and shadow to create mood and emotion in his photographs. Like DeCarava’s work, this photograph embraces ambiguity. It invites us to contemplate the moment, the ritual, and the individuals involved.