Ella Watson, government charwoman (also known as "American Gothic"), Washington, D.C., August 1942.
Observation
- This photo features a African American woman standing in front of the American flag. The woman is between 48-60 years old, in reference to her grayish hair. She has a disgruntled look on her face as she waits for the photo to be taken. The woman's face shows that she does not want to be in the position she is presently in. She is holding a broom upright, and there is a mop in the background. She is wearing a blouse that is not flashy or expensive looking, and it resembles something a maid or housekeeper would wear. The American flag stands high above the woman and shines bright. The woman is below the flag as the darker figure in the light.
Inference
- The photos features a woman named, Ella Watson, who Parks met in a office in Washington, D.C., one evening. Watson was a charwoman, who cleaned the offices, and Parks approached her one night. The woman began telling Parks her life story, in which she mentions how "her mother died, father lynched, husband shot to death two days before daughter's birth". Parks also learns that by the time Watson's daughter was eighteen, she had given birth to two babies. Unfortunately Watson's daughter died two weeks after the birth of her second child. (Library Of Congress). Watson informed Parks of all the trauma and death she had to deal with in her life. That is too much adversity for any human being to deal with, which explains the exhausted look in Watson's face, as if she has nothing left to look forward to in life. It is also noted that one of the offices Watson cleans, belongs to a White woman. The site includes, "One of the offices Watson cleaned was occupied by a woman--presumably white--who served in higher capacity. But both women had started work at the same time, with the same accomplishments and education."
-This photo symbolizes the representation of Black women in America at that time. You have a African American woman of labor, and she is standing below/ in front of the American flag. This photo suggests how America views African American women and what their roles in society should be. With the information on Watson's history, and the fact that she was cleaning the office of a White woman, who had the same academic accomplishments as Watson, makes this photo more significant than it appears. Watson represents the average African American woman at that time, and many have dealt with hardships in life as well. The flag above Watson shows that the African American woman will always be looked down upon and that they are only good for cooking and cleaning.
Citations
"Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives." - - Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (Library of Congress). Web. 14 Sept. 2015. <http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/fsa/docchap7.html>.
Aside from the photo that I chose for my annotated bib this week, this one was probably my second favorite of Parks'. What I love the most about this picture is the American flag in the background. When I first viewed this photograph, I immediately was reminded of some of the writing I have read by W.E.B. DuBois. I couldn't quote his exact words but I remember him explaining in one of his essays published during the Harlem Renaissance that one of the biggest issues for many African Americans during the time was this idea of double consciousness. They would find themselves unable to be both American and black at the same time. I feel like this picture sort of exemplifies that concept for me. The way that Mrs. Watson is depicted makes her feel very separate from the flag, in fact, it appears that she is literally beneath the flag, which could fit in more metaphorically. I feel as though a lot of the information that Julian was able to give us about the daily struggles of this woman's life seem to feed into that concept as well. Being black in America was difficult because American society as a whole made it so incredibly hard to be recognized and given an equal opportunity for success with white Americans.
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