Look closely at this 1942 photo of servicemen boarding the Rock Island Rocket and leaving Amarillo. In particular, look at the three folks closest to the camera, which I've zoomed in on in the second photo. You can see EXACTLY what's happening: it's wartime. The man with his back to us is going off to war. The woman on the left is his mother. She's got her hand on him and in that hand is a handkerchief because she's crying. The other woman is either the man's wife or his sister but, looking at her, I think she's his wife. There's a war on and this man is going and there's no guarantee he'll come back. This is one of those life moments of incredible emotion, moments that seem to occur frequently at train stations. A masterpiece. I've looked at this photo a thousand times on the Library of Congress website and never really SEEN it. I'm glad I looked closer.
Taken by John Vachon.
In Album: Jimmy's Timeline Photos
Dimension:
1024 x 768
File Size:
115.51 Kb
Be the first person to like this.