How did he do it? Arnold Genthe, Old Spirituals’ favorite photographer, once again captures the essence of a time and place in a fraction of a second.

In this case, imagine a poor neighborhood in New Orleans, 1920. One slender gent is sitting rather stiffly on a wooden chair in a small, dirty courtyard that has seen better days. Interestingly the man’s shoes are neither dusty nor dirty. He’s not wearing a coat though he might be carrying one. His hat is balanced on his knee. The man is sitting in the shade of an arch and seems to be waiting.

You get a feel for the man and the place. Who was he, do you think? And what feeling do you get from him?