(Click on picture to enlarge)
The Italian café near Burwood Local Court has the above photograph, enlarged and framed, on the wall.
It is by a an American photographer, Ruth Orkin (1921-1985) and it is her signature image and most famous photograph, American Girl in Italy.
The café is favoured by the legal fraternity and recently I overheard a barrister chatting with the other members of his group. He was admiring of the photograph and said that having been to Italy, the photo was very typical of local street scenes. He said this in a laughing manner and his party made similar comments.
The photograph has always struck me as a dark, almost sinister image. The single female being eyed by 15 males, the holding of the shawl across her front almost as a protective gesture, the downcast eyes, the hands in the groins of the men to the left and the legs splayed gesture of the male on the Vespa all contribute to the feeling that the female is not so much a person but prey. I have discussed the photo with the young lady at the café who said that she felt the same way.
