Jim Goldberg Singh said, "This picture breaks my heart and is part of Jim Goldberg’s devastating book Rich and Poor. Although Raised by Wolves is probably his best-known work, it’s this picture that has stayed
(...) with me. I still find Goldberg’s work shocking and relevant and important 25 years after it was published. He was the pioneer of what we now call ‘participatory photography’. This image lifts the veil on the dynamics of an elderly married couple and it speaks of a truth that we all suspect but fear to acknowledge. Although the husband Edgar dominates the frame and obviously dominates the marriage, the handwriting reveals a different story. Edgar’s writing is childlike, cramped and barely legible – disappearing off of the edge of the frame – and speaks of a lack of education or intelligence, whereas his wife’s handwriting is elegant, romantic, full of warmth and dominates the page. It leaves you wondering who really deserves your sympathy. Is it Regina, happy in her delusion, or Edgar in his small, disappointed little world?"
Untitled. Goldstines. San Francisco. USA. 1981. © Jim Goldberg | Magnum Photos
