(This thread continues the favourites posted to the previous thread)

Elliot Erwitt - Mother and Child - New York City 1953



I truly adore Elliott Erwitt`s photographs which reveal - with a touch of humor and an eye for the humane - the most basic and candid human emotions. I`ve had hard time deciding for the above image against another of Erwitt`s great work: Pasadena, California.
„Mother and Child“ is among the most widely reproduced pictures of its time, having appeared in many magazines, on postcards and even in drug company advertisements. It is a mainstay of modern photography, but for Erwitt it’s just "a family picture of my first child, my first wife and my cat… a snapshot. But it happens to be a pretty good one."
Critics sometimes knock Erwitt’s photographs as slight or sentimental (it seems today everyone strives to create « art » and I observe a general abhorrence of the emotional / sentimental, as if only the brutal, sad, tragic, the schocking would be worthy to be called as art. I think Erwitt didnt give a damn about creating art when photographed and wasnt afraid to fill his pictures with the most primal of human emotions, love). Well there was a lot said about « mother and child » but for me it certainly has some undeniable magic, maybe its disheveled naturalism or the witty contrast of the cat observing the intense emotional moment with cool indifference or how well it exemplifies how beautifully simple a black&white picture can be, conveying an unpredictible private moment with no artifice, which is basicly as significant in a man`s life as the moon landing in the life of humanity and if I could wish and choose which one to have taken myself, that would certainly be Erwitt`s photograph.

More about Erwitt and his work here

and about the model (the mother) read here

thats so kind of you marilyn, you saw my struggle uploading the image i guess, but after a few tries I`ve managed, thanks

A poignant image ... something I saw most days for some eight years!
However the wonder of witnessing the appearance of a newborn never failed to raise a frog in the throat ... as does this family, homely scene.
Thank you for the introduction.
I feel somehow to be invading a moment of privacy not foreseen by the photohrapher.
P.S. I had the same problem!!

One of my favorite pictures as well, eminating a solid sense of harmony and peace.

An image, which in my opinion, affect the mothers. For as this mom, I too have given birth to three children and watching the boards grow, evolve independently of each other! What's more beautiful than this motherly love! I think it is the same for paternal love!

This image is eloquent, the white and black highlights this sense of trendresse mother to her child! Excellent choice!

For someone (like myself!) who is NOT a 'photographer' and never studied photography, the best thing about this forum thread is the introduction to some fascinating work! I love this shot, Monica! I immediately went off to the sites you linked to, and will order one of his books. So thank you... a great choice! The idea of 'snapshots' has recently begun to intrigue me. This one is something to strive for!

Black and White as rigorous in 1953 (Stalin's death ... but continuation of dictatorships ...).
The light is on the baby, eyes of hope for the mother who survived the Nazis, she leaves the dark, brooding and praying for this child a better life ... The father is behind, shoting this furtive moment ... A cat (a rescued cat also !) is watching. He is intrigued, perhaps jealous ... The father is absent, but stands behind the camera ...
This scene is somewhat reminiscent of the Nativity. Somewhere a "modern Nativity" ...
A few years later, it will be a divorce ...

A question : who is the most known , Elliot Erwitt , Mother or Child - ?

Another comment , just for "tikine" ... Is it here a place to talk about a photo or personal life ?

Pourquoi ne pas faire un commentaire Tikine sans vos désagréables remarques sarcastiques.
Vous êtes une personne désagréable, sans cœur et sans manières.

The rest of us need to show her some support.
I've noticed every time she tries to partake in something on the front page, this poster is quick to make unpleasant and snide remarks.
It must be very upsetting for this young lady.

@marilynx ... je commente la photo ... je disais juste que je préfèrerais que le commentaire se limitât à la photo ( in my humble opinion ...) ...
Don't worry Marilyn !... Be Happy !...

@dancingdolphin: in my opinion many of us consider you as an expert of snapshot already, even if what comes to my mind first was taken not by u but by ur man, „travel and transport“, i think even Erwitt would love it ;)
@tikine3gogours : I think it affects mothers and fathers equally… and anyone who ever experienced to love and care for another human being
@marilynx: that picture upload problem might sometimes have also to do with the image source… the first picture I`ve chosen simply didnt want to appear, and when chosen and copied another one, did all steps exactly the same and it worked perfectly and appeared immediately.
@breizh: I think neither the history nor the outcome of this image diminishes or even just affects its importance and magic in that given moment.
Fortunately, pb is a place to talk about anything you want, like photos and or personal life too… and especially how a certain photograph affect you is often explainable only through your personal life.

thanks Monika for introducing this photographer, unknown to me
I think it really captures that moment - a long one - when you stare into a baby's eyes and look and look and look trying to see who this small person is, who this human being is that you've created and carried and given birth to
and the cat is envious, why does this creature that smells of milk get so much attention?
I found a lot of Erwitt's work disturbing, made me feel uncomfortable; it made more sense to me in relation to the "animations" which put into context the durational and narrative aspect in the work

Elliot Erwitt is one of my favorite photographer, what I like most about him is his humorous eye! particularly his series on animals!

@marilynx
je connais personnellement Breizh, c'est un homme très agréable qui a du coeur et de bonnes manières à revendre...il pourrait vous donner des leçons, à vous mêler de ce qui ne vous regarde pas.

OK ... I know that pb is a place to talk about everything ...
But to talk about a picture in public, I think it is appropriate to withhold their personal situation.
I went to the links, I re-discovered this photo and its history ... With my poor English, I want to comment without mentioning my personal situation ... But this is only my (very) humble opinion ...

OK ... je sais que pb est un lieu pour parler de tout ...
Mais pour parler d'une photo , en public, je pense qu'il est convenable de taire sa situation personnelle .
Je suis allé sur les liens , j'ai re-découvert cette photo et son histoire ... Avec mon pauvre anglais , j'ai voulu commenter sans faire état de ma situation personnelle ... Mais ce n'est que mon (très) humble avis ...

@tomie ... Merci ... je ne connaissais pas Elliot Erwitt et ses séries concernant les animaux ... je vais aller voir .

Thanks for introducing this photographer and sharing this wonderful capture. From the first sight itself it captures the attention and then it captivates our attention and slowly the self is filled with a peaceful and lovely feeling! thanks

What a sublime moment captured on the sly! Probably that accounts for the tenderness of the moment frozen forever. And there is something special about the flood of light from the window. There is also some mysteriousness for it has some dark areas. All in all, a wonderful picture. Thanks for sharing. Truly this picture is special.

A great choice of photograph.

Photography isn't just about technique, great equipment, perfect composition or even about wonderful light. It is about conveying the emotion that the person holding the camera is feeling as he looks at a scene. If he/she has done that, then they have created a great image.

This simple picture does that in buckets full. It conveys a truly intimate domestic moment, full of tenderness and love.

Thank you, Monika, for this lovely share. I was also very happy to read about the subjects in that charming and informative link you provided.

Thank you also for bringing this photographer to my attention. He was in my blind spot, but not any more - yet another reason for keeping this great initiative going.

One of the downsides of the universality of imagery in today's world is, as you rightly point out, that we all react more to shock and horror than to images that move for more fulfilling reasons.

I was captivated by the serenity of the mother's expression with that touch of light on it. As the last 'share' before Christmas and the New Year, I think it's only fitting - irrespective of one's beliefs.

A request: I know PB is a chatty place, but please limit your comments in the "My Favourite Image" threads to your thoughts and feelings about the image or photographer the OP has been kind enough to share.

If you're incensed by an egregious example of bad behaviour, send the perp a private message. Don't comment on it here; it only highlights the example.


Merci par avance de confiner vos propos dans les contributions "my favourite image" au sujet de l'image et/ou du photographe. Si vous voulez réagir à un commentaire qui vous offense, faites-le par le biais d'un message privé à son auteur.

Je vous le demande par respect pour les membres qui ont pris le soin de trouver et de commenter une image exceptionnelle. Leur effort mérite cette attention et cette courtoisie de notre part.

... Parce que "l'Annonce est en français" ... Vous vous adressez sans doute (peut-être) à moi ... Précisez s'il vous plaît .
@myfavpic ... Cher "inconnu" ... Aurais-je (peut-être) offensé quelqu'un ? Vous aurais-je offensé ?

Je suis venu et ai commenté en fonction de ce que cette photo représentait pour moi ...
Serait-ce indécent de commenter en notant qu'un "critique" se "devrait" de faire abstraction de sa situation personnelle pour être "objectif" , comme je ne fais pas plus état de mes convictions personnelles religieuses ou philosophiques ...

Je voudrais bien réagir par biais de message privé ... mais vous bloquez ! ... "Réservé aux amis" ! ... Je sais au moins (tout juste) que vous maîtrisez la "langue de Molière" ... Il est plus aisé pour moi de vous répondre .

... Excusez moi ... Je ne savais pas que cet espace de forum était un "Domaine Réservé" ...
Mais "Si vous voulez réagir à un commentaire qui vous offense, faites-le par le biais d'un message privé à son auteur." (sic) ... mon compte est ouvert ... aux gens courtois !
Je respecte tout un chacun , cette courtoisie dont vous faites état et que vous dites "nôtre" fait partie de ma culture , de mon éducation , sinon de mon patrimoine génétique ... C'est une "Question de Valeurs..."