The South Side

Thanks to my friend Frances for her long and informative blog post on the Chicago phenomenon of the vertical wooden back porch and stairs. When I saw this picture I thought of it.

It is from a beautiful book that is a collection of photographs by Wayne F. Miller taken on the South Side of Chicago between 1946 and 1948 that capture the life of the city and its denizens at that particular post-war moment.

 

I love the cop in uniform with the cigar.

 

And the blind street musician playing his portable piano with gloves on. I don't know if this is Blind John Davis, but I saw him play once at ChicagoFest in the early 1980's and he was amazing.

 

I can imagine that Wayne's great composition here of blues musicians at the open air Maxwell Street market on a Sunday morning might have been an early inspiration for the work of my sister's one-time close companion D. Shigley, who passed away many years ago, but also extensively photographed the Chicago blues scene, back when Maxwell street, and D., were still alive and kicking.

Thanks to Wayne Miller for foraging into this world with his camera and intrepid eye and preserving these images of this time and place for us.

Or, as the great Gordon Parks puts it in his introduction "Wayne went to wherever his conscience called him, and his camera's eye baptized whatever confronted him. Earthbound and free of any shadowy miscellany, he made contact with the roots. And as no one can stop the waters flowing, neither can one eliminate his powerful images from our past. They will still be here with us, even if those tenements crumble in time, exhausted."

william
 
 
 

 

Comments

[Frances Archer]

Bill,wouldn't you like to stroll down some alleys with a camera? It's a perfect day for it here, hot, humid, sunny. The amazing thing is, in many neighborhoods, the buildings don't look much different from the 1940s.

[Janet M]

Thnaks for the introduction to the work of Wayne F. Miller and to Frances Archer's blog. I found them both to be quite interesting. I love that your blog is so wide ranging.

[mh]

http://www.bluesaccess.com/No_33/raeburn.html

you might also like Marc po Kempner's book Down at Teresas, also check out Raeburn Flerlage ( i know, what a name!) and the paintings of: gary borremans, joe hindley, robert guinan and tony fitzpatrick ..check em out - all noir influenced and ALL ChITOWN BABY !

[A Salone]

Two cheers for the South Side! Great car in the background of that last photograph.

[Diane]

What wonderful photographs.

[Stan B]

The top photo of the gritty south side alley reminded me of a first visit to Comiskey Park in the 1950s. At the time (pre public housing and expressway construction)35th Street from the L train station at State St west to the park had a similar appearance. Great pics!
Thanks

[davek]

Just to let you know, you have a great looking site. Love the photo's

[Raincoaster]

In case my first comment doesn't show up, thanks for this. I know so little about the history of Chicago, that most storied of American cities!