historyfrenziness:This first lucky image made part of English photographer Bill Brandt’s exposition
historyfrenziness:This first lucky image made part of English photographer Bill Brandt’s exposition in MoMa (New York, 1955). Named as “Family of Man”, this exposition centered on the visual representation of social themes that surrounded daily lives of men and women around the world. Through 503 diverse images that came from 68 different countries, “Photographs concerned with man’s dreams and aspirations (…) with emphasis on the daily relationships of man to himself, to his family, to his community and to the world we live in- subject matter ranging from babies to philosophers, from kindergarten to university (…)”(1)The only information given to this photo, was the title known as “East End girl dancing the Lambeth Walk” in London. Not even the actual date when the photo was taken can be certain; some sources say it dates back to 1937 or 1939. Either way, there are various things our eyes can determine and that can also be observed through the title to give renewed experience to the photograph.First are the clothes of these girls. As you can see, the use of dresses where the line of the body is detailed, the presence of baggy sleeves, the use of wool, rayon and cotton cloth that gives it a rough appearance and the presence of geometric patterns on the skirts are highly similar to the fashion tendencies used in the middle of the 1930s. The economic impact of the Great Depression made the woman’s attire cheaper in terms of cloth (for example by the restrained use of silk in clothing) as well as in terms of hairstyle, were medium of long hair length with simple adornments prevailed over the short and straight hair from the 1920s. The feminine look acquired a more conservative style that had been lost through the jazz ages accompanied with round, doll-like shoes.Next comes the place. Two aspects of it that can give clues (apart from knowing the photo was made in East-end neighborhood in England) are the wide brick construction seen at the left part of the photo and the clean and uncrowded appearance of the streets. As it is widely known, throughout late 19th century and mid 20th, East End slum was characterized as one of the most important industrial centers in London where the workforce that lived next to the factories was mostly made up from immigrant Jews and Huguenots. Most of the population inside this neighborhood worked in “dirty like industries (…) clustered in the east” (2) in which living conditions assembled: “(…) whole families or groups of strangers crammed into a single room to cook, eat and sleep, sharing beds or sleeping on the floor. Rags covered the broken windows in damp, insect-infested rooms. Water came from shared standpipes in the street and sanitation was almost non-existent. The homeless sheltered in doorways or spent the night in coffin-like bunks in mission shelters”(3).Desperately painting the daily life of this working class, writers like Charles Dickens and Jack London put pressure on the English government to carry out liberal reforms that could enhance in real life changing conditions of this population. The “Housing Acts” of 1919 as well as other reforms opened a space where the working class could be included in the government tasks. Hence, the work hours inside the industries were regulated, social security programs started giving out retirement pensions and it was arranged that a part of the national funds should be destined to the construction of more than 500,000 houses in long term to improve the workforce life conditions (4) (Which explains the unexpected aspect of clean streets).Even though the Great Depression sank this last project and undertook eviction norms against the slums (1933), people who stayed remodeled old factories into residential homes (that becomes the reason for being able to observe curtains on the building’s window) and came to enjoy more use of space for their living activities.Children and the way the first one dances are the last two objects that can make this photograph’s context. Although for us the same concept of infancy is related to children and games, back in the late 19th and in early 20th century children were legitimately considered as “little sized adults” capable of making part of the workforce needed for the constant expanding capitalism. Surveys made in 1900s stated that 25% of all the children in the UK between 5 and 13 years old were working in part time or complete time jobs. The parent’s need for maximum income made the children’s education seem like second priority until English parliament laws forbade children to work for more than 12 hours in a row and considered the priority of education as the formation of kids into “the future of the nation”. This changed in English mentality was materialized and reinforced by the increasing interest of the government, and families, to spend money on recreational and educational activities for children(5).And as for the witty walk of the girl standing in front of the other laughing girls, we can be able to introduce the importance of this particular style of dance called the “Lambeth walk” inside the 1930s workforce culture. Taken from a 1937s comedy musical called Me and My Girl, the sensational popularity that this scene acquired not only proved an increased democratization of leisure activities to the lowest social classes but, then again, was a result of better wages for the workclass in new industrial sectors such as “building and distributive trades and the newer industries such as vehicle production, electrical engineering, chemical production and white collar offices”(6) that made spectacles like cinema and theatre a leisure possibility. We may also notice inside the musical’s plot, the main character’s life story and hardships belonged to this industrial working class which not only made sentimental bonding easy but it also reflected the inclusion of the workforce population into what could me named the cultural, social, and imaginary framework of the English collectivity. BIBLIOGRAPHY :) (1) Steichen, Edward (2003), The Family of Man. Prologue by Carl Sandburg, First edition, New York: The Museum of Modern Art.(2)History Channel Uk [online]. History of Lodon: The developmente of East End [reference of may 15th 2012]. On Web: http://www.history.co.uk/explore-history/history-of-london/the-development-of-the-east-end.html(3) Museum of London [online]. Why were living conditions so bad in East End? [ref. del 15 de Mayo del 2012]. On Web: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/Explore-online/Pocket-histories/jack-the-ripper/page2.htm(4) Parliament [online]. Living Heritage,. Improving Towns, Counsil housing [ref. del 15 de Mayo del 2012]. On Web: UK http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/towncountry/towns/overview/councilhousing/ and Britannia [online]. Part 8: England in the 20th century [reference taken on may 15th of 2012]. On Web: http://www.britannia.com/history/nar20hist.html(5) Todd, Selina, op. cit., pág 807 y Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society (online). Work and Povery [ref. del 15 de Mayo del 2012]. On Web: http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Wh-Z-and-other-topics/Work-and-Poverty.html (6)Constantine, Stephen. Social Conditions in Britain, 1918-1939. Florence, KY, USA: Routledge, 1984, p.9. -- source link