Mexico City: Los Hermanos Mayo. Date stamped 18 Enero [0], possibly [3]. Two with red editorial pencil marks recto, some minor wear to surfaces, overall very good. Very Good.
Item List The Hermanos Mayo photographic collective adopted their nom de guerre in reference to May Day labor protests in Madrid in the early s. The early influence of Republican anarcho-syndicalism set the tone for the extraordinary body of work they produced in Spain, as war photographers, and in exile in Mexico, where Foto Hermanos Mayo was a successful agency for fifty years.
They were unflinching chroniclers of labor and and the lower classes, as evidenced in this unusual series of female sex workers on the streets of Mexico City. The women are seen in day and night, interacting with police as clients? In a few images they seem to be aware of the photographer, hiding their faces; in others they smile broadly outside the hotels where they work.
The work bears some resemblance to the photographs of sex workers taken by Weegee in New York City during the same time period. They reflect the commitment of the Mayos to using the press photo format to advance a social message.
Most contemporary prints would have been produced solely for distribution to the press and remain scarce. Offered in partnership with Graph Books. See all items in Latin America , Photographs , Women. See all items by Los Hermanos Mayo. Check all categories that are of interest to you. Search Submit Search. Advanced Search.
