Top-100 photos: American Gothic

1. I picked this image because of the balance of the photo and the mood of the photo.
2. Gordon Parks, the photographer, never fully experienced the cruelty of racism until he moved to Washington D.C. for a fellowship for the FSA. He was the first black photographer at LIFE and made it a priority to photograph the unjust of racism through older African-American subjects. Parks took this photo of Ella Watson after she told her of her struggles as an African-American women, little did he know that this photo would serve as a symbol of life before the civil right movement.
3. I learned that Parks was expecting Washington D.C. to be much more accepting, so when his boss sent him out to explore he came back "disgruntled" due to the poor treatment he received. I also learned that his boss asked him to talk to Ella Watson, this action lead to the famous photograph we see today.
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5. Biography: 

Name: Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks

Birth year: 1912

Death year: 2006

Birth place: Fort Scott, Kansas, U.S.

Schools: high-school drop out, no college education