George Washington Carver c. 1930 - 1981

This is a photograph of George Washington Carver by Prentice H. Polk. It’s a study in light and shadow, bottled up in glass. I imagine Polk in the darkroom, coaxing the image out of the chemicals, shifting the values just so. What was he thinking as he watched Carver emerge from the shadows, surrounded by all those vessels of possibility? It’s like a painter with their jars of pigment—each holding the potential for transformation. Look at the way the light catches the glass, creating all these blurry refractions! And then there’s Carver himself, so solid and present amidst all the scientific paraphernalia. He’s like a figure in a dream, a kind of alchemist, transforming base materials into pure innovation. Photography, like painting, can be a form of alchemy. I love how artists, like scientists, are always experimenting, building on each other’s ideas, pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Whether it’s in the lab or the studio, it’s all about discovery.