San Ildefonso Pueblo Indians, New Mexico 1941

This photograph of San Ildefonso Pueblo Indians in New Mexico, made by Alma Lavenson, has an intimate and documentary feel to it. I am struck by the way the composition is organised around the cylindrical wooden column, creating a division between the two figures. The woman on the left is half-hidden, contemplative and inward-looking, while the man is stood facing us, but leaning wearily on the column. Lavenson uses a full range of tones in the photograph, from the bright whites of the building behind, to the deep blacks of the shadows, creating an image with a palpable depth. The details in the faces of the subjects are compelling, showing the lines and marks that record the passage of time. I can imagine the time and care Lavenson took to capture this scene, revealing an image which has both a formal and personal quality. Like the work of the photographer Paul Strand, there is an honest, human quality to the image. These are images of real people, in a real place, captured with sensitivity.