Portraits of Nannies

The more you look, the more you see.

Look closely at these photographs and see how they capture a moment in time. Consider the questions they raise and the evidence they reveal about child care, race, labor, and family relationships.

• What do you notice about the clothes, posture and facial expressions of the African Americans?
• What do you notice about the clothes, posture and facial expressions of the children?
• What questions do you have about each portrait? 
• Does anything surprise you about the portraits? 
• What would you like to ask the photographer?

These two portraits of nannies with children provide the startling juxtaposition of the nannies’ ages; one of an older woman (you can see her gray hair underneath her headscarf) and the other of a very young girl who is so small that her apron sides off of her shoulder. She is barely older than the children in her care.