Blind Woman, New York

Description

In the fall of 1916, Paul Strand, a member of Alfred Stieglitz’s Pictorialist circle, took his camera to the streets. He attached a right-angle prism to the lens so he could face in one direction while photographing in another. With this method, Strand sought to capture individual pedestrians detached from their urban surroundings. Rather than document the bustle of the New York City sidewalks, he chose to concentrate on singular portraits. This image of a blind woman is hauntingly powerful in its clarity and isolation.