Gordon Parks and the Making of an African American Icon

Gordon Parks

Background
Gordon Parks was raised in the Kansas. His mother died when he was fifteen years old. After living briefly with relatives, he found himself homeless, and then began a series of various service jobs such as piano playing and waiting tables. He purchased his first camera in 1938 after viewing photos of migrant workers, likely FSA (Farm Security Administration) photographs. Parks quickly made a name for himself as an excellent portrait photographer, specializing in photographs of wealthy black women. In 1942 he landed a job photographing for the FSA and moved to Washington DC.

The Genesis of Parks' American Gothic
When Gordon Parks arrived in Washington DC to photograph for the FSA, he was alarmed and enraged by the bigotry he encountered in the nation’s capital. Though now it seems incredibly backward and cruel to refuse restaurant service to blacks or to force them to enter establishments through the back door, it was normal and perfectly legal in the southern United States at this time. It occurred to Parks to try to “photograph bigotry”, but Parks quickly concluded that “bigots look just like anyone else”.

Most people’s impression when they first see this image is that Parks meant to parody Grant Wood’s iconic American Gothic, which is absolutely correct. Wood’s American Gothic was already legendary in the art world when Parks created his photograph of an extraordinary woman at work named Ella Watson.

Who Was Ella Watson?
Ella Watson was a single mother that Gordon Parks met in Washington DC. She was cleaning the FSA building. A single mother, struggling to make ends meet. Watson was herself a child of a single mother; her father having been murdered by a lynch mob. Parks was fascinated with her and her plight and quickly befriended her.

The Consequences of this Photograph
The power of this image was recognized immediately. When Parks’ supervisor first saw this image he reportedly said “My God this can’t be published, but it’s a start”. He also reportedly shook his head and said: “this will get us all fired”. Later, the image was adopted as an icon of the Civil Rights movement and became a lasting symbol of American bigotry and African-American disenfranchisement.

Questions Regarding Your Opinion and Observation:
Do you think that this image’s themes and messages are still valid and true in the United States today, or does this image only teach us about how things used to be for Black People in the United States? Explain your answer.

In Grant Wood’s American Gothic, the farmer poses next to his wife (presumably) and in front of his homestead. In Gordon Park’s Gothic, Ella Watson stands alone, side by side with her broom and mop; she is situated in an office that she is cleaning, with the American flag behind her.

a) Compare and contrast the backgrounds behind the subjects in each image.

b) What do you think this image says about property and (social) position in American society?


What do you think this says about the plight of single mothers?

How do you think that Ella Watson felt about getting her photo taken? Proud? Embarrassed? Explain your answer.


POST YOUR OPINION: Do you think that this photo deserves the fame it has achieved? Explain why or why not?

Questions for Comprehension (to be posted soon)

Diane Arbus--Child With Toy Hand Grenade

This photo was taken by Diane Arbus in 1962. Arbus would frequently walk through parks in New York City searching for interesting people to photograph. In my opinion, Arbus had a knack for making ordinary people interesting. She knew that the camera had amazing powers of transformation.

Some questions to consider:

1. What in the scene gives some indication to the year it was taken?

2. What do you think the boy felt as he was having his (this) photo taken?

3. Diane Arbus once said: "I never have taken a picture I've intended. They're always better or worse." Take a look at the scan of Arbus' contact sheet below. Considering what she said above about her photographs surprising her, how do you think she felt when she looked at her contact sheet (below right).

4. There is a story that when this photo taken, Diane Arbus took her time before pushing the shutter release to take the exposure. After standing there a while, the boy became impatient, clenching his fists, making a face and pleading "take the picture already!". Some think that Arbus purposely took her time to get the reaction, while Arbus herself said she was moving around to get the best angle. Judging from the contact sheet, what do you think actually happened?

5. Many artists have created commentaries about warfare. Do you think that this says anything about war? Explain your answer.

POST YOUR OPINION: Do you think that this photo deserves the fame it has achieved? Explain why or why not?