Social Work and Sidney Grossman (1913-1955)

As a photographer in support of the Communist agenda, Sid Grossman was the leader of The Photo League. “The Photo League promoted the sanctity of the straight image and the belief that photography needed to serve a social-political purpose” (245). All of Grossman’s photos exemplify “straight” photography, especially the series of photos he shot during the summer of 1947 on Coney Island. The two following pictures are from that series, neither of which have specific names other than “Coney Island 1947.” On page 245 of Hirsh’s text, there is another photo from this series.

Each one of these pictures emanates a youthful and playful air. This first photo, of one girl on top of the other’s shoulders, is clearly not staged. Grossman succeeded in capturing a fleeting moment of teenage play. The laughter-filled smiles of the subjects show their inner essence and free-spiritedness. Out-stretched arms of an off-camera subject reach toward the girls for precautionary protection. The intensity and energy of the scene are captured in the blurry hand movements of one girl and the tightly gripped fingers of the other.

In the second Coney Island photo, Grossman captures a quiet moment between lovers. As they cuddle closely on a blanket at the beach, they reject everyone else in their presence to exist alone in their world. Visually, the girl’s heart shaped necklace is the center of the photo. Young love is often a focus of Grossman’s work, making a strong statement about teenagers in the 40s. Looking at his photos through a historical lens, the viewer can interpret 40s teens as sex-driven, passionate, and free.

The final photo I’ve chosen to show is “Two Young Women before a Pastry Shop at Night” (1948). Again, Grossman’s style is haphazard, unorganized and essence-capturing. Depicting two young girls flirting with a young man, the images of three people are cut off from the frame. This photo also raises many questions; Where are they? Are the girls twins? Sisters? Who is the man to the left of the frame looking directly at the camera?

One question remains… how are these photos doing social work? They are not exposing any injustice nor are they trying to explicitly elicit social reform. My answer is that Grossman is trying to promote the Communist agenda by linking his beliefs with his photography. As a known supporter and believer of Communism, photographing the healthy, and vivacious youth of tomorrow associates Communism with prosperity and happiness.

"Another Way of Telling" - John Berger

“Photographs do not translate from appearances. They quote from them” (96).
In “Another Way of Telling,” by John Berger, he insists that “photography has no language of its own, because it quotes rather than translates…” Since a photo cannot lie, it “quotes” directly from its source. In order to separate photographs by quality, Berger develops the idea of the “exceptional photograph.” He states, “The exceptional photograph which quotes at length increases the diameter of the circle even when the subject is totally unknown to the spectator” (121). John Berger uses a diagram to visually demonstrate what he means by this:
- - - - - o - - - - - > compared to - - - - - - O - - - - - >

For my analysis of Berger, I have chosen three personal photographs, each of which, in my opinion, quote at different lengths. Since these photos are mine, and I was present when they were taken, for me, they quote at a greater length than they would for you. As Berger states on page 121, “The diameter (the amount of information received) may vary according to the spectator’s personal relation to the photographed event.” I know each photo’s “story,” but nonetheless, each photo can evoke different emotions, and therefore some are more “exceptional” than others.

The first photo, the shortest quotation, is of a man riding a motorcycle down a neighborhood street. Formally, the photo is divided into segments by the road that runs through the middle of the photo. The green strip of grass that runs along the bottom third of the photo creates a slightly diagonal line within the frame. Two houses compromise the background of the photo, which was taken sometime during the daytime. Automatically, the eye is drawn to the man riding the red bike. We can assume that the bike isn’t going very fast by looking at the posture of the rider. There is a tree in the background, and probably a tree in the foreground right out of frame, since we can see its shadow across the grass. Culturally speaking, the photo says very little. The rider is probably riding in a neighborhood since there are no dotted road lines down the middle of the street. By the look of the neighborhood, it’s safe to assume that he is in a middle class neighborhood.

This photo does not quote at length because it doesn’t say much to the viewer. Scientifically speaking, this photo proves that the boy can ride a motorcycle down a street in a neighborhood. Knowing that this photo was taken because the subject in the photo had just purchased the bike and was taking his first ride on it makes me more knowledgeable of the photo than others, although a viewer could probably guess that as a reason.

This photo quotes at a greater length than the first because there is more ambiguity in the photo. Why was it taken? Who are these people? What is their relationship to one another? Formally speaking, there are seven subjects, sitting on a couch, smiling at the camera. We can assume the photo was taken during the day since the room is evenly lit by light. A diagonal line is created at the top left of the frame by the staircase leading to the second floor of the house. Two blankets are draped over the back of the couch. The photo was most likely taken in a colder month since the subjects are dressed for colder weather. Culturally analyzing the photo, we can gather that the photo is some sort of family portrait. The two older girls seem slightly out of place- could they be the mother of any of the children? Maybe we can assume that they were together at a birthday party or family dinner which is why they were all together.

With this idea of family, a viewer can then place a meaning or personal value on the photo. Berger would argue that is it the act of appearances producing ideas that makes them “exceptional.” On page 122, he states, “How is it possible for appearances to ‘give birth’ to ideas? Through their specific coherence at a given instant, they articulate a set of correspondences which provoke in the viewer a recognition of some past experience. This recognition may remain at the level of a tacit agreement with memory, or it may become conscious. When this happens, it is formulated as an idea.” Once a viewer turns this photo into the “idea” of family, and bonding, and love, and attaches these thoughts to their lives and past experiences, the photo is elevated beyond its “scientificness.”

The third and final photo I wish to discuss represents Berger’s definition of an “exceptional” photo. Not only is this photo exceptional, but this picture does what Berger refers to as “resisting history.” The photo consists of two subjects sharing a private moment, which just so happened to be captured on film. Formally, the frame consists mainly of the male and female subject, although there is the image of another woman barely visible is the background. As the two subjects gaze into each others’ eyes, the female is grabbing the male by his shirting, pulling him tenderly closer to her. Their noses and faces point toward one another, created a long strip of blackness down the center of the picture. Since the man is bulkier due to his larger stature, the weight of the photo is on the right. Culturally looking at the subjects, we can assume that they are at a special event since they are dressed up. Maybe they are laughing because one of them said something funny, or maybe they’re smiling just because they love each other. Was this moment captured right before they kissed?

In terms of Berger’s argument, this picture resists history. Using the picture of the “the soldier leaving,” to demonstrate his point, Berger argues that the “opposition exists in the parting look between the man and the woman” (103). He continues, “This look, which crosses before our eyes, is holding in place what is, not specifically what is there around them outside the station, but what is their life, what are their lives. The woman and the soldier are looking at each other so that the image of what is shall now remain for them. In this look, their being is opposed to history, even if we assume that this history is one they accept or have chosen.” The woman and soldier resist history in that they didn’t welcome the picture by posing for it. Sneaking into their lives, their emotions, and presenting those raw human emotions for the world to see makes both of these pictures “exceptional.”