Photographer: Eugene Richards

Title: "Child in Wading Pool"

Eugene Richards, "Child in Wading Pool," Dorchester, Massachusetts, 1978

The portrait of a child in a wading pool was part of a retrospective exhibit, "An Outsider," at the international photojournalism festival, Visa Pour L'Image in Perpignan, France. The exhibit features 50 years of Richards' photography, documenting American poverty, the plight of the mentally disabled, and the human cost of drugs and war. Richards recalls his experience capturing the image: "The young mom told me that her 'baby girl' had suffered a seizure that morning. When I knelt beside the child, she looked to be falling asleep or dreaming."

Eugene Richards (American, b. 1944)

Eugene Richards is a photographer, writer, and filmmaker. During the 1960s, Richards volunteered with VISTA, a government program and part of the "War on Poverty." He helped found a social service organization and a community newspaper, Many Voices. Photographs he made in these years were published in the first of his three monographs, "Few Comforts or Surprises: The Arkansas Delta." After joining Magnum Photos in 1978, he undertook assignments on drug addiction, pediatric AIDS, and family life in America. He has directed seven short films and wrote 16 books. "Exploding Into Life," which chronicles his wife's struggle with breast cancer, received Nikon's Book of the Year award. His other honors include an Award of Excellence from the American College of Emergency Physicians and an Infinity Award for Best Photography Book. Richards' recent books include "The Blue Room," a study of abandoned houses in rural America, and "War Is Personal," on the consequences of the Iraq War.

Signed by photographer

Image size: 25 x 17 inches (landscape)

Approx. framed size: 33 x 25.5 inches