Boarding House Porch Possibly 1936 - 1971

Walker Evans shot this photograph, “Boarding House Porch,” with a camera and film, sometime in the mid-twentieth century. I see a wooden porch with ornate, almost gothic columns, supporting the roof. I can imagine Evans, setting up his camera, maybe a large format one, under a dark cloth, carefully composing the scene. What was he thinking about as he captured this moment? Was he drawn to the intricate details of the architecture or the quiet dignity of the figures sitting there? Photography, like painting, is all about light and shadow, and the way Evans uses them here gives the image a kind of weight. I think about other photographers like Eugène Atget, who also documented the textures of everyday life. Artists, we are always in conversation, aren't we? I think the way Evans frames this shot, with its play of light and shadow, makes you want to step right into the scene and make yourself comfortable.