FORSAKEN AM I, 1949
Every picture tells a story as does this 1949 image of the artist’s youngest daughter, Carol. Indeed, as Watson prepared to photograph his child, she began to play with a broken light bulb.
Stubbornly refusing to give up her new toy, Watson eventually took it from her, resulting in the toddler looking up at her father in utter despair, a look he captured thru his lens.
Initially filing the photo away, it was not until Watson heard the 1961 Peggy Lee song, Oh Love Hast Thou Forsaken Me, that he decided to give the image a similar title and submit it for exhibition.
Yet, the photo received mixed reviews as many thought it was the result of the photographer’s harshness towards his child, a criticism that was completely unfounded.
And how do I know? I was the child in the photograph, and my older sister, who was also present, never tired of telling me how badly I behaved that day.