Girl Sitting Alone in the 'Sea Grill,' a Bar and Restaurant, Waiting for a Pick-up, Washington, D.C. Possibly 1943 - 1989

Esther Bubley made this photograph of a woman in a bar in Washington, D.C. The greyscale gives this image a timeless quality, as if it could have been taken at any point in the last 100 years. The light in the photograph creates a strong contrast between light and shadow, which brings a certain drama to the scene. The woman is the focal point, but I can't help but notice the dark horizontal blinds, which become like an abstract pattern of lines and gaps. Notice how the light catches the glassware and cutlery on the table, making the objects glow and almost sparkle against the matte darkness of the table. There is something melancholic about this image, the woman looks detached and lost in thought, waiting for something or someone, but it's up to us to imagine what that might be. The woman’s emotional state is ambiguous, which makes the photograph even more compelling. It's like an Edward Hopper painting, in that it captures a fleeting moment in time that is open to interpretation.