Old Woman Possibly 1932 - 1981

This photograph of an old woman was shot by Prentice H. Polk sometime in the twentieth century. It’s a study in light, dark, and texture, but mainly it is a powerful face. What was Polk thinking as he composed this shot? He uses such a shallow depth of field. Her eyes are in focus, but her cap and the striped bib of her dress are soft. I wonder if he asked her to pose, or whether he caught her in a moment of quiet reflection. There is a depth here, a world-weariness. The starkness of the black and white emphasizes the lines on her face, each wrinkle telling a story. Like a painter layering strokes, Polk seems to be building up an image that resonates with history, and it is a shared history. This photo reminds me of some of the portraits of Alice Neel, who was active during the same period, and also worked in stark black and white to capture something deep about her subjects. It is a reminder that artists are always responding to one another, building a visual record.