Johnny Grant (Lower West Side series) 1973

Milton Rogovin made this photographic print called 'Johnny Grant' at an unknown date as part of his Lower West Side series. The photo captures a young couple with their baby outside a brick building; he’s holding the baby swaddled in a white blanket, she’s holding a stroller handle, and the little family looks right at you. Rogovin used black and white photography to document working-class families in their everyday environments. I wonder what it was like for Rogovin to stand there, camera in hand, making a portrait of this family in their own setting. Did he just walk up to them? Was it arranged? I love the way documentary photography can really cut through the noise and capture something so intimate and real. Rogovin's portraits remind me a bit of Walker Evans' work, but with a softer edge; both artists were deeply interested in social issues and used photography as a means to shed light on the lives of ordinary people. These types of artists invite viewers to contemplate the realities of urban life, class, and community, sparking conversations about empathy and representation.