March 9, 2012 | 3:45 PM | By

A Look Back: Gordon Parks’ Photos of D.C.

Famed photographer Gordon Parks, whose works include “American Gothic,” died six years ago this week. Parks spent considerable time in D.C. in the 1940s while under a Farm Security Administration fellowship. Take a look at the photo gallery put together by Huffington Post DC that showcases Parks’ works depicting daily life in the District more than 70 years ago.


From this experience, Parks would continue on to produce his most famous work, “American Gothic, Washington, D.C.,” depicting a cleaning woman by the name of Ella Watson. Holding a broom and mop in front of a large American flag, the photo, Parks’ mentor called the powerful photo “an indictment of America.”

“I realized from the reaction of people that the camera could be a very powerful instrument against discrimination, against poverty, against racism,” Parks said of his work.

Read more at: www.huffingtonpost.com