A wash of natural light catches the worker in the foreground and freezes him in the midst of his task... while his co-workers, out of the depth of field, are a fluid blur of movement.

In its dramatic use of light and its unconventional approach to its subject, this photograph seems far too avant-garde to be a typical commercial illustration or industrial documentary work. It was part of a large set (perhaps around 400 photographs originally) most likely commissioned by General Motors.  Based on a sampling of images from that group, it appears that the unknown photographer was very consciously creating modernist works of photographic art from the everyday scenes of the automobile industry.

Copyright © 2002 The American Photography Museum, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

"American Museum of Photography" and the logo are Service Marks of The American Photography Museum, Inc.