This photograph came back from the past tonight to haunt me again. Years ago I found this picture made by Mr. E.J. Bellocq and ever since I have thought about it. The photo is of a sex worker from the old time Storyville brothels of New Orleans. Bellocq photographed extensively in that region in around the early 1900s. When I was down in New Orleans for my Thai sex worker show his name came up over and over again, sometimes even in connection to the work I was doing (a great compliment).
This one photo more than any others that I have seen by Bellocq continues to enter my thoughts, the vulnerability of the girl, the stiffness of her pose, the sadness on her face, the damaged neg. I am not sure what it is but something about this image lives on in my mind and pulls me back again and again. I wonder who she is and what became of her, what was her life like before and after this photograph was made. Did she have a family? Did she live a long life? Did she ever find happiness?
Maybe with the 5x7 and 120 lens I can continue to tell the stories Bellocq told on my next Thai trip. A man from my show in New Orleans told me I should try to photograph the workers in their private rooms, maybe that is something I can pursue. If I continue the sex worker photos I want to do it in as compassionate a way as I can, simple and straight forward, honest tell tale emotions.
Here is the haunting E.J. Bellocq photograph:
