Here we once again see Orkin’s style of taking photographs capturing not life as we dream it should or shouldn’t be but life as it is. We see a boy jumping from the roof of a building with broken windows into the Hudson river. A woman is sticking her head out the window and the people on the docks are watching him, there is a line on the roof with the next boy already preparing to jump after the one in the air. They have no knowledge of Orkin taking the photograph and because of this we can truly see what is happening. From a seemingly run down building we see children having a great time. By showing us what is Ruth Orkin shows her viewers the highs and lows of society exactly as they come.

In 1947 racism was still a major issue despite WWII having recently ended. However there is no trace of either in this photograph. Instead we see a black mother and daughter sitting and resting on top of a suitcase. The daughter looks tired and is resting her head on her slouching and equally weary looking mother. However neither of them seem to be aware of the camera despite the young girls facing the camera, the mother seems to be looking for someone and this captures the nature of the city’s longing. By capturing the sleepy girl and the tired mom who appears to be looking for the father of the girl in their natural environment without any poses or faked situations we can get a glimpse into  the lives of the lower classes through Orkin’s photos.