Reading Pictures – Research – Singular Images: Essays on Remarkable Photographs by Sophie Howarth

I am lucky enough to have a copy of this book, reading through the essay I find it focuses on pity for the family in the image. This is repeated a number of times throughout the essay. This is an easy assumption given that Arbus was know for photographing the margins and freaks of society.

I was a simple essay to read which is why I purchased this book in the first place but what I found really interesting was the story behind the image and looking at the smaller signs which is what leads us to pity the family. I feel affronted for them, poor Richard and Marylin Dauria forever immortalised and most likely chosen because they had a disabled child. The child most likely fitting into Arbus’ marginal society category.  We are left to pity rather than celebrate this young family. Maybe Marylin did dream of grander things in life but the fact that at a young age they embraced and accepted the role of raising a child who ,as we are led to believe ,is mentally retarded is an achievement in itself. They still maintain their attempt at imitating their possible role models Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean.

What i also find intriguing is where the third child is? Why are they not included in this family scene? I looked at the other image mentioned in the text that was shot in the family home, again there is no third child however this image does not illicit as much pity perhaps this is why this was not the ‘chosen’ image.