Joseph, 10, and Rosy, 8, Newsies, Newark, New Jersey, 1909 1909

This photograph was taken by Lewis Hine in 1909, somewhere in Newark, New Jersey. It's a silver gelatin print, a process which yields a beautiful range of monochromatic tones, from cool blacks to warm, creamy highlights. The sepia toning gives the whole image a kind of hazy, dreamlike quality. Looking closely, there’s a density of detail, especially in the kid's clothes. The boy on the left has this amazing furry hat that feels almost sculptural. The tonal range in his face is incredible. You get a real sense of texture, and almost feel like you could reach out and touch him. His jacket is slightly too big, but that's ok. Hine’s a bit like Jacob Riis, I guess, he wanted his images to tell stories, to move people to action. But it's the ambiguity, the way the photo leaves space for our own readings, that keeps me looking.