“Student nurses at New York's Roosevelt Hospital” by Alfred Eisenstaed

“Student nurses at New York's Roosevelt Hospital” by Alfred Eisenstaed

My final blog entry is (tragically) from LIFE.com and is titled “Student nurses at New York's Roosevelt Hospital” by Alfred Eisenstaedt.  Last week was National Nurses Week and because I intend to pursue a career in medicine and my SO is in nursing school, I felt this image would be an appropriate conclusion to my blog.  

                The photo is interesting for its disorienting symmetry. The nurses are in some sort of lecture hall, and are likely in the middle of a class. The six different rows of the hall appear to be stacked almost vertically due to the angle the photograph was taken. The image feels as if it would go on forever. The rows, which are filled with similarly dressed nurses, give each part of the image a nearly identical look. Each nurse is dressed so uniformly you actually need to pay attention to each one individually to draw features out of them. Many of them have their hands posed the same way, as if to brace them for their inevitable nap during the lecture. This feeling of uniformity is increased because the image is taken in black and white. Distinguishing features are difficult to find.

                I have nothing but the highest respect for nurses. Their schooling is a grueling experience, and they are the unsung heroes of any hospital. As I’ve mentioned earlier, this particular image resonates on a personal level. It isn’t hard to imagine the amount of stress the students pictured underwent in their rigorous schooling experience. Remarkably, as much as healthcare has changed, this image is still relatable. Though things may be different, lecture hall instruction is still a pillar of the nursing school experience. Despite the way in which time alters life, there will always be aspects that stay the same.

Volkswagen, April 11, 1960 from LIFE magazine (artist unknown)

Volkswagen, April 11, 1960 from LIFE magazine

                In celebration of the final season of AMC’s Mad Men (my personal favorite show), LIFE.com posted several 1960’s era advertisement that inspired the show. The one I chose was an iconic Volkswagen ad from April 11, 1960. There is no credit to one particular artist, but the ad likely reached millions of readers in magazine just like LIFE.

                Media is filled with advertisements today. Any program you watch is “brought to you” by something, and sponsoring logos are everywhere. A half-hour program on TV typically has 10 full minutes of commercials, giving a measly 2-1 ratio of show-ads. Worse yet, we are so immersed in advertisements that they are often shown to us subliminally, movies have perfectly inserted product placements that we don’t even know we’re being sold something.

                This Volkswagen ad certainly brings me back to the “golden age” of advertising. Perhaps, I’m tainted by my enjoyment of Mad Men, but the ad seems simpler and more wholesome than the ones today. It’s a simple ad, showing a complete shot of their famous beetle. Below the car is bold black text, with some a paragraph beneath it. There’s nothing overly complex or subliminal about the ad. It presents a car, and a description.

                Volkswagen grew notoriety from this series of ads. The text right below the car is “Lemon” which refers to a defective car. Seeing this connected with a car that they want to sell is confusing and immediately catches your attention. Reading further, it is apparent that they catch the lemons so you can have the fruit (their perfected vehicle). It’s a neat little concept and was certainly and innovative form of advertisement.

                The image of the ad is appealing also. It shows only the Volkswagen beetle they’re trying to sell. It isn’t on a road. It isn’t in front of a scenic mountain. It is in a void of white. I like this choice because it highlights that the car is the focus of the ad. They aren’t trying to make you believe that you can drive anywhere (like a mountain top) with their car. You’re buying the car, where it goes is your choice. It’s the sort of ultra-simplicity that I like about this ad. I wouldn’t mind advertisements today if they went back to it.

The Lorraine Motel photographed in the hours after Dr. King's assassination, April 4, 1968” by Henry Grokinsky

The Lorraine Motel photographed in the hours after Dr. King's assassination, April 4, 1968” by Henry Grokinsky.

Saturday, April 4^th marked the anniversary of the death of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King.  To mark the occasion, LIFE.com posted a on its website of the motel he was assassinated at.  The picture, which was never published in the magazine, has the caption of: “The Lorraine Motel photographed in the hours after Dr. King's assassination, April 4, 1968” and was taken by Henry Grokinsky.

                Like several of the other photos I’ve chosen to discuss, this one stands out to me because of a combination of what it actually shows and the larger picture it represents.  The image itself it taken at night, with a majority of the image being taken up by the featureless night sky above. The street lights and marquee of the motel bleach the picture with overexposure.  The pure white lights strike a very stark contrast against the dark night.  A geographic location is established because the motels name, Lorraine, is visible. The motel itself, in different shades of grey sits in the background of the picture. Due to the extreme darkness surrounding it, the motel has a ominous or foreboding presence to it.

                Without context, the image depicts the Lorraine Motel as an uninviting place. I certainly wouldn’t want to spend a night there. When this imagery is paired with the actual story of the picture, this feeling is confirmed. After reading the article it accompanies, there is a grim and sad revelation. On April 4^th, 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while preparing for a speech in Memphis Tennessee. MLK was undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, and it certainly the most revered.

                The picture of the motel doesn’t really contradict with the awful history behind it. As previously mentioned, the image isn’t a “happy” one. This feeling is magnified when one considers the events which took place there. MLK remains celebrated today due to his unrelenting march for equal rights, and his refusal to resort to violence. Calling his assassination a true tragedy may not be a strong enough word. Still, it is important to never forget MLK, or the images of where he died when considering the various civil rights movements that are still being (peacefully) fought today.

Untitled,from Playgrounds for Manhattan, 1938 by Eliot Elisofon

Untitled,from Playgrounds for Manhattan, 1938 by Eliot Elisofon

 

 

 

 

            Unlike some of the other photographs I’ve chosen, I selected “Untitled” mostly due to its interesting form, rather than the content. The image depicts a young man or boy sitting on a strikingly large concrete structure. The boy sits, perhaps uncomfortably, with a pensive pose.  It is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It appears that he’s on some sort of beach or even a desert due to the sand-like earth the structure sits on. Behind him, in the dark is a collection of buildings that at a glance could be a hill. The sky above him is an ominous gray. Although there are clearly clouds visible, the lack of light makes it difficult to judge what the weather or time was actually like.

            As mentioned before, the form of the photo makes it stand out. Even though the image is relatively dark, there is a stark contrast between the lights and darks. The concrete structure that dominates the image has an appealing geometric symmetry to it. Its smooth curves and sharp angles form together nicely. On top of that, the darkness of a shadow cuts through the shape and onto the sand. The additional lines of contrast only add to the appealing geometry. The buildings in the background are so dark that they lack almost any identifying features. The photo, without context could take place anywhere.

 Although the (lack of) title doesn’t give any clues as to what the photograph is showing, the other information given by TIME.com gives a few hints. TIME says that the photo is from Playgrounds for Manhattan and was taken in 1938. That one sentence of information unlocks a load of information and answers several questions. While the boy’s outfit is hard to discern, it makes complete sense given the time period. The field of sand is no desert, it’s a playground. Those buildings in the background are part of Manhattan. The availability of such a large space and the lack of skyscrapers in Manhattan make sense again given the time period.

David Kirby on his deathbed, Ohio, 1990-Therese Frare

 David Kirby on his deathbed, Ohio, 1990-Therese Frare

 

             I found “David Kirby on his deathbed, Ohio, 1990” by Therese Frare on LIFE.com. The image is particularly striking one. As its title suggests, the image depicts a man, David Kirby, literally on his death bed. He is surrounded by his family, yet his expression seems to be completely void of any recognition. He looks hollow, gaunt, and morbid. His father is comforting him, although it doesn’t appear that David is even conscious, and his mother and sister embrace each other.

            Of all the images I’ve picked so far, this is probably the most powerful. The back-story to it makes it even more powerful. David Kirby was an gay-rights activist who contracted HIV. He reconciled with his estranged family, in order to die surrounded by his loved one. His final picture captured this. He was only 32 years old. I’m struck by the amount of intimacy the photo captures. There can be few things as private and precious as someone passing away with their families, yet we are fortunate enough to share this moment with them. It captures the sorrow and hopelessness of the situation. His family looks utterly devastated, but the person dying is completely devoid of emotions we might expect.

            The picture also does a lot to capture the essence of the AIDS epidemic. Although the image was taken just 25 years ago, medicine has increased magnitudes. In just a few short years after this photo was taken, antivirals would be developed which allow people to live indefinitely with AIDS (which used to be a death sentence). The picture does a lot to bring how terrible the disease is. It looks as if Kirby had his life sucked out of him, and that he was a shell of the person he used to be. Regardless of one’s views on the gay community, an image like this is powerful enough to make everyone agree that no one deserves a demise such as David Kirby’s.