Gelatin silver print 37,7 x 47,8 cm (14.8 x 18.8 in)
Signed and numbered by the photographer in pencil on the reverse, edition no. 7/25
LITERATURE „The Sins of the Fathers“ in: Life, New York 1955, p. 86 [same series]; Michael E. Hoffman (ed.), Mary Ellen Mark. American Odyssey. 1963-1999, New York 1999, p. 63; Mary Ellen Mark, Exposure Mary Ellen Mark. The iconic photographs, London 2005, p. 178-179.

“In order to establish a connection with the people I am photographing, I take as much time as possible for each of my projects. Closeness is extremely important for my work.” The US-American Mary Ellen Mark took photographs of the Damm Family twice: once in 1987 and again in 1994. Both times, she found the family in a crisis situation.
In 1987 Linda and Dean and their children Jesse and Crissy had just been expelled from emergency accommodation. Sometimes the family would find shelter over the weekend in a motel, but mostly they slept in their car. Seven years later, they were hardly better off. They had found temporary accommodation at an abandoned ranch. Jesse and Crissy, now twelve and thirteen, did not attend school. Two new siblings had arrived, and their parents were unable to cope with the pressure – they were continuously on drugs.
The present portrait of Jesse Damm dates from this period. The photograph testifies to the familiarity between the boy from impoverished circumstances and the prize-winning photographer – their two very different worlds meet during one moment within the expansive Californian landscape. “In any case, I prefer to photograph people who mean something to me,” Mark, a Magnum member for a while, writes in her book American Odyssey. However, that is not all: “I always wanted my pictures to speak for those people who have difficulty making themselves heard.” The portrait Jesse Damm is a poetic image, but it is also aggressive; it grabs its viewer without sentimentality, yet exudes great sensitivity. It makes us search for hope.