Jackson, Mississippi 1969

This photograph was taken in Jackson, Mississippi, by William Eggleston. Look at that floral pattern on the cushion of the swing seat! The overall tonality of the image is quite muted, yet there’s a certain directness in the composition that grabs you right away. I wonder what Eggleston was thinking when he took this photo. Did he just spot this woman on the porch and ask her if he could take her photograph? Or maybe he knew her and was trying to capture something about her essence in the moment? I can imagine the feeling of the sun filtering through the trees, the stillness of the air, and the quiet dignity of the woman in the floral pattern. Painters and photographers are forever responding to one another. This reminds me a little of Fairfield Porter and his images of his family and the everyday. It seems like a slice of life, an intimate glimpse into the ordinary made extraordinary through the artist's eye.