Alexander Leonard
In The Market at Orizaba, 1897

There is a lot of movement and action going on in this photograph, just like what is expected in any market place. This market seems to be comprised of little stalls under a large covered area. The stand that the photograph captures completely is one being managed by a mestizo woman selling vegetables and grains it seems. All of the blurs around the stall point to the fact that people must have been moving during the taking of this picture, reminding us of the camera quality and duration it must have taken to capture a proper photograph. This picture is also indicative of several groups in Mexican society. In the middle is a group of white males, sporting black suits and the popular facial hair of the time, along with the only white woman in the picture also dressed in formal American attire. Perhaps they are there on business or touring Mexico. The other people are comprised of Mexicans mestizos; wearing sombreros, white linen shirts, and some with ponchos, while the women are wearing shawl like cover ups. Another interesting feature of the picture is the fountain on the right. It has water flowing out of it which perhaps shows there is running water in the area, meaning the market must be in an urban, developed town. Finally, a somewhat comical feature of the unconnected group of people in the picture is that they all are looking at the camera and seem excited to getting in a picture. The white men in the back have their arms up, the women at the stall are turned and posing, and the men on the right are also looking, as if the photographer got everyone’s attention before taking it. Why did the photographer prefer to take a picture with everyone looking rather than an action shot of everyone going on with his or her business? Are the white men American, and if so, how do they get treated?

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/mex/id/2195/rec/8