James Sawders

Untitled (1930) by James Sawders depicts grain elevators in Amarillo, Texas. The use of the archway in the foreground as a framing device gives the photograph a cinematic feel as it is reminiscent of the title introductions of films, as is the case of the starred arch of Paramount Pictures. The contrast between light and dark allows the shadowed archway to frame the brightly lit sky against the “Farmers National Grain Corp” lettering on the elevators. The blurred car in the middle ground near the sign for “Pueblo Court Drive In” contributes to the references to film. Sawders uses these framing devices borrowed from cinema to bring a context to the photograph that is more than a mere description of a place.