Image Title: “Drinking Fountains”

O - This photograph shows two drinking fountains side by side, one labeled “WHITE” and the other labeled “COLORED.” An African-American man drinks from the fountain labeled “COLORED.”

P - The two fountains are connected by the same pipe--water comes from the same source and goes to both sinks.

the wall is plain except for the two signs

the “WHITE” sink looks fancier--it has a cabinet to hide the pipes

The man is wearing a hat

it looks like the “WHITE” sink might have colder water--it’s plugged into the wall

the man is on the edge of the photograph; only half of his body is visible

focal point is the blank wall between the two sinks: empty space

T - This image has two bits of text, a sign reading “WHITE” over the fancy drinking fountain and a sign reading “COLORED” over the plain fountain. Also, the title “Drinking Fountains” puts the emphasis on the fountains, not on the man drinking from the fountain.

I - gives a feeling of two Americas

sad - the fountains are separate even though the water comes from same place

man on edge of photo = also on edge of society

picture is very plain, suggesting that these are the “plain facts” of life in this

time period

C - This image conveys the idea that there were two separate Americas during the Jim Crow era--one for whites and one for African-Americans. The two fountains are obviously different in quality--the fountain labeled “COLORED” looks shabbier and not as nice as the “WHITE” fountain. This photograph emphasizes that this Black man is on the edge of society and that he isn’t accepted by the “WHITE” world, by placing him on the edge of the photograph. The focal point is the blank wall between the two fountains and the two signs, which suggests that a wide space divides these two worlds. The image creates a feeling of separation and sadness, and emphasizes the painful inequality that existed during the Jim Crow Era.