Poor Children

As I was flipping through New Deal Photography, I stopped at a photo that spread across two pages (pages 168-169). At first glance (and the reason I decided to stop on this particular page), I saw two adorable boys looking so sad, standing in front of a wooden structure. I also immediately noticed the glass window. As I kept staring at the black and white photo, I noticed more and more. The boys look alike and seem to be brothers. The taller boy, who looks about 14, has a frown on his face and his eyes show pain and sadness. His hands are in the pockets of his sleeveless, battered overalls. The shorter boy, who looks about 9 or 10, also has a look of misery on his face. His arms are dangling, possibly due to his tiredness, and his long- sleeved overalls are ripped with holes. His disheveled hair is light- the same color as his brother’s. Their clothing is so different, which makes it difficult for me to know what time of year it is. They are both very thin- perhaps too poor to eat three nutritious meals daily. The wood structure behind them appears to be very old; some wood planks are cracked. The window looks as though it’s been there for quite some time as well. The boys are looking at the photographer with such depressing expressions, it would be hard to walk away without doing something to help them.