Sidewalk Scene in the French Market 1935

Walker Evans made this gelatin silver print called Sidewalk Scene in the French Market, but it's not dated. This is interesting because the gray scale is so specific, you know? The photograph is almost framed, like a painting, but with the architecture of the market itself. The way the light just glances off the parked cars – the silver gelatin really pops in those areas. There's so much information packed into the composition. It’s like Evans is saying, “Here’s the world, with all its jumbled signs and objects, make sense of it.” This piece reminds me of Eugène Atget's photographs of Paris, but with a distinct American sensibility. I feel like this work wants us to embrace the messy, unresolved beauty of everyday life.