Untitled (Blind Accordionist/Subway Portrait)

Between 1938 and 1941, Evans made over 600 portraits of passengers on the New York subway. His anonymous subjects appear unaware of the camera’s presence, absorbed in thought. The images were made covertly: Evans strapped a small, fast Contax 35mm camera to his chest, and the lens (peeking out through two button holes) was operated with a long wire strung down his right sleeve. Realizing the potential controversy the project might cause, Evans did not publish these works until 1966, when he released a volume with a James Agee introduction entitled Many Are Called, accompanied by an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.