"12/37 Hollywood, Florida, Xmas Turkey, Russell Schoyer" 1937

This photograph, undated and unsigned, captures a moment in Hollywood, Florida, on Christmas in 1937. The starkness of the black and white palette renders a portrait of a man holding a cake in one hand, and a turkey in the other. I wonder about the person behind the lens. What might they have been thinking as they framed this image? Do you think it was staged, or a candid snap? I imagine the excitement of Christmas morning, the anticipation of a shared meal. The choice to include both turkey and cake feels so humorous and celebratory. It encapsulates a sense of abundance and joy. This kind of photography reminds me that art-making is an act of conversation. Each image builds upon those that came before, responding to earlier expressions and inspiring those that follow. Photography is a form of embodied expression; it embraces the spontaneity of a gesture, and allows for multiple readings of the same image.