In the photograph Department Store by Gordon Parks, we are presented with a snapshot of everyday life in segregated Alabama. The image indicates that the institution of segregation did not halt the spiritual quest for beauty, dignity, and grace for the people who endured it. This color photograph is part of a series named “A Segregation Story” that features images of the members of two families in scenes of everyday living in segregated Alabama in the 1950s.[1]

In this image, we see a woman and a little girl pausing on the sidewalk of an avenue of stores. Above the duo is a neon sign reading “Colored Entrance,” pointing to an open door. The time of day seems to be early evening, as indicated by the gray overtones and the lights glimmering in the background. The bold red neon sign contrasts with the tone of the picture, as it is situated in the shadows that emanate from the left side of the storefront.

Both the woman and the girl are dressed in beautiful, clean, and bright dresses comprised of chiffon lace. The woman is wearing a light sea foam green dress with short black hair. She dons white earrings, a small white purse, and white patent leather shoes. The dress is pressed impeccably, and there are no blemishes to be seen. The details in her dress indicate the irony that though she is being discriminated against, it does not diminish her refinement. There is the exception of the slip strap hanging off her shoulder, which only adds to her humanity. The little girl is dressed in a lace dress and shiny black patent leather shoes, with a large bow in her hair. The color of the dresses compliments the soft white evening light that permeates the photograph. The lines of the street, the roof covering the sidewalk, and the fluorescent lights create a vanishing point just behind the woman, who is the central focus of this piece.

The context for this photograph is defined by the larger-than-life “COLORED ENTRANCE” sign that dominates the top third of the field. While the blue arrow on the sign points to the open door on the left, inviting the African American woman and child into the department store, the subjects are facing away from the store. While standing straight and getting something from her purse, the woman looks up while her neck bends forward away from the “COLORED ENTRANCE” behind her. The blaring gaudy red and blue glow given off by the sign contrasts with the elegant and refined style of the dresses both subjects wear. The cleanliness, class, and posture present a visual protest to the looming shadows that characterize the colored entrance to the establishment.

Everything in the photo seems to be moving except the subjects and the door to the store. The child is standing perpendicular to the woman as if she wants to turn entirely towards to the door to go inside. Recognizing the entrenched position of the adult woman, the girl’s body faces the camera up the sidewalk. Why was the adult woman going into her purse?  Was the adult about to give the girl money to go inside alone? Was she going to give her gum or candy to placate her until she got home? Both the woman and the girl are frozen in a moment in time. The sign and the institution of segregation provide a backdrop for this moment, which begs another question.          

During the moment caught in this photo, the woman and the girl look out across the street. The photo begs the question, what are they looking at? It appears during the deliberations as to whether they would go in the store or not that something across the street arrests the attention of both. The backdrop of segregation and the social mores of this space in time cause many to suppose that some racial incident distracted these ladies and summoned their attention. The solemn look on the woman’s face indicates disapproval of what she is seeing. The girl is cautiously intrigued by what is happening. Both seem intent on watching whatever is occurring. Was a racial incident taking place across the street? Were remarks directed at the subjects by a white person? Since the photo was taken in 1956, other contextual readings may exist. Gender norms were different. Was a man catcalling or making inappropriate remarks to the ladies? Were two people showing affection in public? Were there class contexts being transgressed? Was someone making fun of their clothing out of jealousy? Other contexts may be universal. Was there an ex-boyfriend across the street? Was there a car accident? All these rationales could be accurate, but when coupled with the omnipresent sign of racial divide, each outcome is intensified.

Parks, a photojournalist for Life magazine, was known for documenting various aspects of the African American lived experience.[2] He used his camera as a “weapon” against the social, political, and economic forces of injustice that made life specifically difficult for one group of people. Just like the “COLORED ENTRANCE” sign in the photograph, his pictures offer a unique view into the lives of African Americans amidst the social contexts of the day.[3] While much of the photography surrounding African Americans during the Civil Rights Era looks at protests, the Segregation Story series attempts to position the daily lived experience at the forefront of the work.[4]

Department Store is indicative of everyday occurrences amidst the reality of segregation. Parks often focuses on a family or a protagonist in his work and follows the subject(s) throughout their quotidian routines. In the case of the Segregation Story series, he follows the Thornton family, an elderly Black couple, and their descendants living in Mobile, Alabama. He captures the bad, ugly, and good aspects of life by examining how people rise above circumstances to be represented by doing things that humans from all walks of life may do. In this picture, we have the clean clothes, the gaudy sign, a silent gaze, and a hanging slip strap that all reveal a work of art that captures a moment in time and space for the two subjects.

Notes:

[1] Diana McClintlock, “Gordon Parks at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art.” (2015).

[2] Michaela Kuglerová, “Visual Justice: Gordon Parks and Life Magazine.”

[3] Jesús Costantino, “Harlem in Furs: Race and Fashion in the Photography of Gordon Parks.” Modernism/modernity 23, no. 4 (2016): 789-811.

[4] Bill Schwarz, “‘Our Unadmitted Sorrow’: The Rhetoric of Civil Rights Photography.” In History Workshop Journal, vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 138-155. Oxford University Press, 2011.

References:

Costantino, Jesús. “Harlem in Furs: Race and Fashion in the Photography of Gordon Parks.” Modernism/modernity 23, no. 4 (2016): 789-811.

Kuglerová, Michaela. “Visual Justice: Gordon Parks and Life Magazine.”

Marcus, Alan. “Looking up: The child and the city.” History of Photography 30, no. 2 (2006): 119-133.

McClintlock, Diana. “Gordon Parks at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art.” (2015).

Schwarz, Bill. “‘Our Unadmitted Sorrow’: The Rhetoric of Civil Rights Photography.” In History Workshop Journal, vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 138-155. Oxford University Press, 2011.