Evelyn Hofer

Evelyn Hofer is a black and white photographer (she worked with color some) whose work spanned from 1946 to 1998.

One word I thought of when I first viewed her photography was "quiet". As you can see from the photographs above, all of her subjects seem so still. Her images are classical, cool, and calm. They seem to be completely immobile, but also very permanent. She monumentalizes the subjects in her photographs. She uses light and balance in her composition. They are serious and direct, but they also have a sly quality. Its almost as though the two housekeepers in the image above have a secret. They are also standing so statuesque, something that you would see in a portrait of someone in an upper class.

What is interesting to me about her work is that she chose to photograph people of the working class. By photographing them and monumentalizing them, she gave them importance and regard.