Paul Strand

Here a woman wears a placard that marks her as blind. Pinned just above her sign is her registration to legally peddle--in other words, to beg for money--on the streets of New York City. Photographer Paul Strand often used a trick camera that photographed in a direction different than the one it was pointed in, enabling him to record images without his subjects’ knowledge. This image, made using that technique, is often celebrated for its blunt social realism. Should we, however, consider the woman’s lack of informed consent in the making of this photograph?