Hampden Neighborhood, Baltimore, Maryland c. 1972 - 1976

Joan Cassis captured this photograph, "Hampden Neighborhood, Baltimore, Maryland," sometime before she passed in 1996. Look at how Cassis frames this young girl; the tonality, texture and composition is remarkable. The monochrome palette emphasizes the stark reality of the scene, but it’s the textures that really sing to me. Cassis doesn't shy away from the grit. The peeling wallpaper becomes a character in itself. It is almost like an abstract painting behind the girl, full of nuanced greys. Then, there's the girl's gaze, which feels so direct. It's as if she's inviting us to reflect on the circumstances of everyday life. Cassis’s wider body of work often focuses on such scenes, lending a voice to overlooked narratives. I am reminded of the social awareness of photographers like Helen Levitt. Cassis, like Levitt, has an uncanny ability to find beauty and meaning in the mundane, proving that art is an ongoing conversation about how we see and interpret the world around us.