The "Common" Man

This is a casual photo of two men waiting outside of the unemployment office. It caught my eye because the two men almost look identical in the way they are standing and the expressions on their face. I noticed in the background the sign for a liquor store. I find it interesting that in a time of economic dismay there is still a liquor store that is open and running. Obviously the liquor sales weren’t greatly affected by the economy. Another little detail I noticed was the lunch sack in one of the men’s arms. I assume this would be his lunch and because they cannot afford to miss a chance to get some money he brought it with him so he wouldn’t have to leave his spot in line. The lighting in the photo leads me to believe this is during the day and probably early in the morning because it seems pretty bright. The men are also wearing coats so I assume it is cool outside and not during the summer. Just by looking at these men’s faces I can easily pick out the mood of the photograph. It seems to be a depressing, yet frustrating, situation that they are taking place in. They both have very broad frowns on their faces so it appears they are aggravated and tired. This makes sense because of the economic situation at the time of this photograph. I decided to choose the theme “Common” Man because at that time it was the common thing to do to stand in line at the unemployment office in hopes of receiving financial assistance until they finally retrieve a job. I believe the photographer, John Vachon, was attempting to show us the true struggles and inconveniences everyday people had to go through just to hopefully get a small check to help them get by.