Musical accompaniment: Depende by Jarabe de Palo.

This unnamed picture was taken by our old friend, Paul Strand, in 1916.

Amon Carter Museum

I look at this picture and I wonder why Strand saved it.  Initially I only think the subject looks very tired.
But Paul Strand saw something else .What did he see in this face?

I could come up with various stories about who he is. I would guess his age is important. A younger man could not make that expression if he tried. It’s not fatigue. It’s fear, shock, or loss.  Perhaps he pinched and saved and worked every waking moment to be successful (however he defined success), only to learn his family had abandoned him because he spent no time with them.   Maybe he was a greedy man and fell for a scheme that robbed him of his life savings .

Or is it the look of a man stripped of a lifelong illusion?  Maybe he was in love with one woman his whole life, He finally married her, only to realize when he could no longer get away, that he really didn’t like her. He had just been caught up in pursuing his fantasy of being with her. Maybe his expression is that of a man who suddenly understands the old adage: Be careful what you pray for. You just might get it.

What do you say, friends? Why did this fellow look like that?