Hole in the Clouds


Mrs. Watson, Government Charwoman

Feb 8, 2017

One of the first professional assignments undertaken by Gordon Parks was a 1942 photo essay featuring Mrs. Ella Watson, a "government charwoman" who cleaned federal office buildings at night, after the clerks went home, and supported her family, including an adopted daughter and three grandchildren, on her annual salary of $1,080.

Parks's other photos of Mrs. Watson and her family, along with explanatory captions, can be viewed online, via the Library of Congress Farm Security Administration archive.

portrait   work   District of Columbia   1942   Ella Watson   (Image credit: Gordon Parks via Shorpy)