Butterfly Boy, New York

scott — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:00:34 +0000

Jerome Liebling, a distinguished photographer and teacher, made this picture in 1949, two years after he joined the Photo League. The stance of the little boy marks the center of the picture, his sharp gaze is directed precisely at the viewer, and his outstretched arms afford him a grand presence on his stretch of urban sidewalk. The details of his clothing—oversized shirt, mismatched and mislaced shoes, summer shorts with a winter coat—contradict but do not undermine his confidence. The open coat, a familiar gesture of childhood, signals both vulnerability and fantasy, as does the title. He is anonymous but unforgettable.

They Honor Their Sons

scott — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:56:56 +0000

Lisette Model was a self-taught photographer who immigrated to the United States in 1938 from Vienna and Paris. She is known for her extensive body of photographs of the Lower East Side of New York, but she was drawn also to subjects related to World War II. They Honor Their Sons was made during a war rally, presumably of mothers whose sons were engaged in the war. Here, two women fill the frame and are seen slightly from below, in a style that is characteristic of Model’s portraits. The rigid post, just off-center, is included deliberately to underscore the restrained emotions apparent in the mothers’ expressions. Model was active in the Photo League through the 1940s and was an influential teacher whose students included Diane Arbus.

Columbus Museum of Art » Photo League Collection

Butterfly Boy, New York

They Honor Their Sons