Cornell Capa

Cornell Capa was the founder of the International Center of Photography on 42^nd Street.  Described as a “concerned photographer,” he traveled to many places in Central and South America in 1953, including Guatemala, Argentina, Nicaragua, Peru, and Ecuador. While there, Mr. Capa wanted to use his photography as a way to show the world “a believable mirror of the human condition, a mirror that mankind must finally face.”

One of the photographs on display was titled “Dock workers loading bananas for United Fruit Company” and was taken in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala.  It made it very clear that the dock workers are poor – they still use old fashioned pulley systems rather than cranes or other heavy machinery to lift the masses of bananas.  The roofs of the houses are thatched, rather than shingles, and the workers themselves are dressed in raggedy clothing.

Another photograph being displayed was titled “Dock workers leaving a lunch time,” also taken at Puerto Barrios, Guatemala.  This photograph must have been taken at a different part of the city because the roofs of the buildings have shingles instead of being thatched like in the other photograph.  Although things look more modern, the photograph still shows that the dock workers are poor.  Even though this part of the city seems to be more acclimated to foreign trade, indicated by the bilingual signs, the workers are still dressed in very dirty clothing.

The photographs on display show, more than anything, why Cornell Capa is “concerned.”  They show the conditions that people live through in other parts of the world, and really do act as a “believable mirror of the human condition.”