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July 1935. "Scott's Run mining camps near Morgantown, W.Va. Domestic interior. Shack at Osage." 8x10 nitrate negative by Walker Evans for the Resettlement Admin. View full size.
This is not. The shabby oil cloth rugs, the oddments of corrugated tin and cardboard hiding the holes in the walls. This is no way to live.
I thought that was linoleum.
[It's a linoleum rug. - Dave]
That floor and the rug remind me of a quote from my father. He was talking about the house he and my mother moved into when they were first married. " ... and when the wind blew the rugs flapped on the floor!"
"The Pause that Keeps you Going" is neither the best nor the worst Coke slogan.
Among the best: "The Pause that Refreshes" (1929)
Among the worst, and clearly the invention of the boss's son: "Whoever You Are, Whatever You Do, Wherever You May Be, When You Think of Refreshment Think of Ice Cold Coca-Cola" (1939)
I see the crowbar being used to take apart wood crates that are used for firewood. You can see some wood crates in pieces near the wall and stove. Of course, the broom is to clean up the mess. I confess that I’ve never stood the broom up that way but it is probably the right way, so it won’t bend the bristles.
The crowbar and the graduates, with Santa Claus hawking Coke thrown in for good measure. That's wit and whimsy at its best.
I found similar chairs selling online for between $600 and $1600. I bet the miners would be surprised.
Initially I made a flippant comment about the crowbar and broom, but now what stands out is Walker Evans' artistry. You can be sure every detail is deliberate, like the sunlight down in the right corner. In almost every picture he is saying, "Here is America, folks."
Sent hither by the creaks and groans of a most excellent willow(?) rocker. When man is fully evolved, we'll be able to rock and sleep at the same time.
Every well-appointed homeowner should have a broom and crowbar at hand, to keep things neat and respectable.
This could pass for a conversation-provoking installation at some museum.
Not sure why the scan from the graduates - to Santa - back to the graduates - then on to the broom and the crowbar - all set off by the rocker, is so visually satisfying.
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