postcoitus’s pillow talk

A. Aubrey Bodine (1906-1970) was a pictorialist. He mostly photographed Baltimore and other places in Maryland in the 1950s. Pictorialist means it was more than just taking pictures. It was real art. He often dolled up his photos with better clouds or special chemicals.

Bodine dropped out of school in the ninth grade and started working for the Baltimore Sun. He later would attend MICA.

Bodine captured the different Baltimores. He photographed the steelworkers, the harbor, the architecture, the families living in the city (before it was filled with crack.) He focused especially on Baltimore’s landmarks abd traditions though.

Tugboats pull a freighter into the harbor. In the background are the smokestacks of factories and the famous Domino sign: one of the more notable parts of the Baltimore skyline, second only to the winking Natty Boh guy. Bodine captures the importance of the harbor and shipping industry to Baltimore’s economy. The ship is the focal point, larger than the city itself.