Easter Sunday, Chicago after 1951

Frank Paulin captured this photograph, Easter Sunday, Chicago. The church setting and well-dressed people symbolize renewal, both personal and spiritual. The couple walking arm in arm leaving the church resonates with the iconography of procession, an ancient motif seen in Egyptian friezes, classical Roman triumphs, and even medieval religious parades. This act of walking together symbolizes unity, purpose, and progress. It's a gesture that transcends time, reappearing in wedding processions, political rallies, and everyday life. The act of walking is a powerful one, associated with life's journey. It is a symbol of our striving and constant movement toward an unknowable future. This idea of the symbolic journey, of progress and transformation, taps into our deepest hopes and fears. The cyclical recurrence of these motifs reflects our collective yearning for hope, and continuity.