The power of a photograph

Post - By Howard E. Cummins

columnist

One of the greatest hallmarks of our human species is that we were given the ability to look beyond mere facades to see what lies much deeper within the surface. Photographs assist us in looking back in retrospect and finding those hidden moments that were captured in a mere instance.

On one of my walls is a framed George Jenkins photograph that captures on film an entire community poised along the steps of a store front. They are wearing clothing popular in the late twenties. Some of the women are wearing smart cloche hats, while others display their modern-day flapper bobbed hair. Most of the men are wearing hats, and all are wearing suits and ties. There are three rows of men and women and seated below them are two rows of children.

The children are well-dressed in clothing of that era, some are wearing hats. Along the first row, all the girls are wearing long stockings with both feet resting solidly on the ground, that is, apart from one young girl. She is well-dressed, and she holds her hat in her lap. She is leaning slightly backward with her legs crossed. She is comfortable and enjoying the day, but she refuses to be poised or perched according to the photographer’s wishes. It is a delightful photograph to study, and especially dear to me in that the young girl is my sister Blanch.

How long has it been? Were we ever that young and what were we thinking when that image was captured on a simple strip of film? Were we ever that happy, ever that carefree, and ever that young? Why did we hasten things and wish to grow older long before we were destined to do so?

The undisputed ruler of the past is found in photographs. Especially old photos that record the history of family, friends, and community. But recent images of holidays, adventures, celebrations, and just everyday activities.

All too soon those too will be viewed as old.

The brain and the heart work together as inexhaustible storehouses for memories, both sweet and tinged with sadness. Pull up a photographic image and they can take us on pleasant voyages to a time in the past where we become inoculated with sentiments of how things used to be in that world we once knew.