Pets of the Past
Having spent more than twelve years in flea markets, going through shoe-boxes full of other people's personal snapshots, I noticed that there were many of people with their pets. These pictures often stand out as being the most spontaneous, unposed and tender of photographs from the past, which generally tended to be much more formal and hierarchical than what we are familiar with now. Now, people use video and really treasure the slice of life moments where they step outside of their roles of responsibility to anything, work or family. But in the past, those responsibilities and order seemed to be much more the focus of people's self-presentation to the world. However, then as now, people seem to have a relationship with their animals even more simple and direct than with their children, there are no expectations or planning for the future there, just the enjoyment of the moment and the happiness of interaction with another being that is just happy to be with you.
It's like a parallel history. Looking back at the past, from the 1890s through the years of WW2 and beyond, these photos show another, parallel, more personal history in contrast to and to balance that of all the wars, invasions, famines, suffering, bigoted and benighted attitudes to sex and race and nationalities, and human relations with nature. There is a sweetness here that people with their stiff collars and tight corsets and girdles and uncomfortable shoes show towards their pets that they don't show to anyone else, even their own families, in public, anyway, or in any way that others could witness or share.
Pets are a blessing, because they offer loyalty and beauty without judgment or expectation. I aim to show as many of these moments as possible, through the medium of these snapshots and artifacts, to affirm the value of our inter-species relationships. To become more humane, and appreciate the animal around us more fully.
Gallery
Library of Congress
Dogs
Cats
Horses
Misc
