
The work of photojournalist Lewis W. Hine, primarily his child labor focused series, strikes a particular chord with me. My Great-Grandfather emigrated to Fall River on a schooner from the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores with his sister at 7 years-old. He began working as a "bobbin-boy" at the Robin Rug factory on Thames St. in Bristol at the age of 8, until he was strong enough to shovel coal into the factory's furnace. Judging by the age of the children and the period in which the picture was taken, my Great-Grandfather could very well have been one of Hine's subjects. These disturbing photos serve as a reminder of the sacrifices others have made for my well-being.
Diane Arbus' work focused on the unusual and downright odd. She didn't appear to compose entire campaigns (like Hine's work with the child labor series), but focused on raw, unglamorous reality. The photograph of a lanky, awkward looking boy holding a hand grenade in a park and the photograph of the twin girls both had me fabricating my own storylines as to how (and initially, why) Arbus captured this image. I appreciate her choosing subjects primarily for their thought provoking qualities rather than their aesthetic pleasure.