american pictures

screenshots from “american pictures” website.

jacob holdt: american pictures

My photography is thus a result of non-violent communication with the victims of a violent racism. My parents – in disbelief of my written accounts – sent me after one year a pocket-size Canon Dial for my birthday asking me to send some pictures home. I had never photographed before and saw it first as my visual diary helping me to remember all the people who gave me hospitality and food in more than 400 homes over 5 years as a “vagabond”. This is my term for a hitchhiker who with no exception says yes to every invitation he receives and thus throws himself into the arms of many abusive people whom – at least I – had been brought up to avoid in my safe Danish rectory. The half-frame camera took 72 pictures on a roll, so by selling my blood plasma twice a week for $5 each time, I could afford 2 rolls of film a week. Often I hitchhiked enormous distances to go to e.g. New Orleans, where the blood banks paid $6,10, but during the last two years I made small picture books to show to better-off drivers after which I often got small donations – the highest was $30 from a businessman in Philadelphia.

Since I had to economize with the film I often sat for days with people whom I lived, not using the camera before I saw “the right face” which I felt showed the situation before the interference of a stranger – and then shot just one or two pictures. My first priority was always survival – housing and food – and the photography only my extravagant hobby.

speaking of trudging around the country taking pictures to illustrate the collective condition of a people, here are some amazing pictures taken by danish “vagabond” jacob holdt. he criss-crossed the united states in the early 1970’s for 5 years hitchhiking around with no money, no means of support, staying with over 400 mostly dirt poor rural and urban american (black, white, latino, native indian) families and individuals. in the process those people became the subjects of the 15,000 slides that he eventually took on his travels. i don’t know what to say about these pictures, i have held onto this link for a week trying to find some insightful words to describe how much they say about the crushing psychological effect of american poverty, black, white or otherwise. as kids i remember going to visit people upcountry who lived in mud homes without electricity or running water/sanitation. but i never saw the sense of hopelessness that pervades the pictures, the poverty here is as much mental as it is material. enough words.

you can put your mouth to a firehose of the imagery here (i much prefer to experience them viscerally) or view them in an online presentation format here [via the constant siege]