Description:
portrait of a young white boy; child
Label Text:
Paul Cordes came to America from Germany just before World War I. While photography was of great interest to him, he did not seriously take it up until later. As a professional photographer he was initially employed by the United Nations, where he was hired to take portraits of international dignitaries. He opened his own studio during the 1930s in New York and was frequently sought out by upper class families to take their pictures.
This portrait of young Francesco Cantarella was commissioned by his parents, Michele and Helene Paquin Cantarella, in 1937. Both parents were serious academics connected to Smith College and were quite active in resisting fascism.
The melancholic mood of the image, achieved through dramatic lighting and stark contrasts, anticipates the aesthetic of Film Noir of the 1940s and ‘50s. The moody setting casts young Francesco as older and more contemplative—not the most common approach to a commissioned child portrait. HKVD
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1938.8.7 |
