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August 1938. "Itinerant photographer in Columbus, Ohio." View full size. 35mm nitrate negative. Photograph by Ben Shahn, Farm Security Administration.
The photographer has added a wrapped cloth around the probably deteriorating, light- leaking bellows.
I wondered where this was taken so I looked up the Economy Furniture Co. in the 1938 Columbus City Directory.
One of the better portraits that Shahn completed while working for the FSA, imho: rich in detail, rich in human expression. His photos from this period often were "stretches" to make a socialist statement; here he seems to be showing us a straight ahead, working man street scene. Not quite on the level of August Sander's work, but still quite impressive.
Denny Gill
Chugiak, Alaska
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