Photo Study essay – William M Van Der Weyde – Electric Chair At Sing-Sing

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This image instantly reminded me of the execution scenes in the movie, The Green Mile, based on the Stephen King novel, but the photo captures the final preparations for an all too genuine execution in approximately 1900. The un-named condemned man sits quite calmly as three prison officials strap him in to the chair and make sure everything is secure. A fourth figure, face out of shot, stands some way behind them, possibly close to the lever board that will have killed the poor man moments after the photo was taken. The convict doesn’t look scared or angry. He’s strangely resigned to his fate. He stares at the photographer’s lens with almost casual curiosity, probably wondering what will become of the photo, and who might see it and what they might think of what they are seeing. The other figures are so concerned with getting their job done that they don’t notice the camera at all. It’s as though they are rushing the work through to go about other duties, or get their next break. The focus is almost presenting an intimate bond between the lens and the condemned man. It’s a very sobering image. Arthur Chappell