Filmore District, San Francisco 1959

Minor White’s photograph captures a pane of cracked glass, likely from the Fillmore District in San Francisco. The cracks radiate from a central point, creating a web-like pattern reminiscent of constellations or perhaps a shattered cosmos. Consider the ancient symbol of the wheel or mandala—often representing wholeness and cyclical existence. Here, the shattering disrupts that completeness, yet the radial symmetry persists, echoing the past even in its broken state. We see this visual language echoed in the Renaissance, where the wheel symbolizes fortune. The act of breaking carries a potent psychological charge, suggesting both vulnerability and violent potential. How might our collective memory of destruction—wars, natural disasters, personal traumas—affect our reading of this seemingly simple image? The photograph taps into a deep well of human experience, triggering subconscious associations. As the glass shatters, so do our preconceived notions. This photograph captures a moment, now forever frozen, as the destruction happened, and the moment after.