Parks vs. Sanders by Jenni Gunther

The famous photographs, "American Gothic" by Gordon Parks and "Cleaning Woman" by August Sander have many similarities and differences. While one may notice that both photos include women as the subject, black and white coloring, and stern facial expressions, there are many other aspects to the photographs. In "American Gothic", Parks portrays the woman as hard working, worn looking, and small. It looks as if she feels that she does not belong in the setting, or that she is uncomfortable having her photograph taken. On the other hand, "Cleaning Woman" portrays a hard working, dirty, yet very strong and self respecting woman. She appears as if she is satisfied with her job, and knows where she belongs. The photographs, although similar in some ways, are actually quite different.