
This photograph, taken in the 1980s, captures a glimpse of New York City that is very different from what we are familiar with today.  The cars, clothing, and shops in the photo give viewers a portal into another era.  The photograph’s motif—the homeless man, draws readers into it emotionally.  The chosen shot, color, and gaze not only highlight the photograph’s time period, but they also shed light on the plight of homeless African Americans in the 1980s.  

The photograph was taken horizontally to create a long shot.  The long shot provides viewers with a panoramic view of sidewalk and street of 1980s New York City.  The background includes a skyscraper’s windows while the foreground features the side of a building, the sidewalk, and a homeless man with his few possessions.  The mid-ground includes a storefront and automobiles of the era.  The tops of the buildings are cropped out to draw the viewers’ attention down onto the people.  However, the street and sidewalk look bare and people are sparse.  This bareness contrasts to the mental image that people most likely have of the modern New York City, which is known for being crowded and always on the move.  There are few cars on the street, including a 1970s Volkswagen Golf and two old fashioned vans.  The shop signs and advertisements include those of a film develop shop (digital cameras were not yet in use), an airline agency, an electronic store (personal electronic devices were just beginning to become popular), and a movie theater-style marquee with “New York Statue” written on it.  These details give the viewer clues on what it was like to live in New York City in the 1980s.  

In the 1980s, color photography was very common; black and white photos had become uncommon, if not rare.  However, although not the norm in the 1980s, black and white photographs would be used to emphasize shadows and textures in a scene.  The focal point of the picture is its left side, which is well lit.  The right side of the photograph is in the shadow and is darker compared to the rest of the photo.  The white of the father and son’s shirts, girl’s dress, and homeless man’s shirt also stand out against the gray sidewalk.  The fact that all four figures are wearing white may indicate they have something in common—they are all human.    The black and white emphasizes texture, especially the wrinkles in the homeless man’s clothes. There is a distinct contrast between the upper-middle class white man who has well pressed clothes and looks like a business man, compared to the African American homeless man who looks like he may have no other clothes.  The homeless man has rough bare feet, which contrast with the stark white, ruffled socks worn by the children.  

Gaze is also used to connect the motif, a homeless man, with the theme of the photograph, the stark contrast between the homeless man and the family.  The two young children are staring down with innocent curiosity at the homeless man who is begging.  Judging by the little boy’s furrowed brow and questioning gaze, a homeless man is an unfamiliar sight to him.  The young girl exhibits a stare that is devoid of emotion.  The man, most likely their father, is clutching the children’s hands while turning to look back, either avoiding the semi-reciprocal gaze of the homeless man or simply unaware of it.  The woman, walking behind the father and his children, is looking at the homeless man on the ground with a disgusted face.  

Body language is also used to show how people of an upper class respond to those who are less fortunate.  The man is leaning away as well as looking away, possibly trying to ignore the situation.  Meanwhile, the small boy is leaning in and staring intently.  The homeless man is seen as being vulnerable.  Compared to the people walking by, he is sitting crouched in a vulnerable position on the ground while everyone else towers above him.  The homeless man has his arm outstretched and is looking up as the family approaches.  Vulnerability of the lower class was a consistent theme during the 1980s.  

In this photograph, only two African American men are spotted, showing the group as a minority.  In the 1980s, funding to civil rights movements came to an end.  This made the social and economic gap between the upper and lower class widen, especially the colored lower class. 

This builds contrast between the well-off father with his children and the homeless African American man who has to beg for change. 

The long shot view, lack of color, and gaze from the family on the sidewalk contrasts life as an upper class citizen to that of a homeless man in 1980s New York City.  The appearance of the upper-middle class father gripping the hands of his children is used to highlight how people of a higher class were either unaware or chose to ignore people of a class beneath them.  The motif’s purpose is to show the homeless African American man as vulnerable compared to those around him.  However, the similarity of white clothing symbolizes that there is no difference between the wealthy family and the homeless man-they are all human.  

 
