South Side, Saint Louis, 1992

This photograph illustrates a critical moment, and test of skill, for a young girl living on the South Side in St. Louis, Missouri. The image features a group of girls playing on the sidewalk. Presumably two girls (one is unseen) hold a length of rope high above their heads, while a third girl tries to jump up and touch the rope with her foot. A third girl watches, possibly waiting for her turn. The photographer, Anna Kuperberg, captures the expression of gritty determination on the face of the girl who is jumping, and the blurred effect of the girl's foot in the center of the photograph gives the viewer an immediate sense of movement and action. The working-class children who lived in this neighborhood spent much of their time outdoors, and were eager to pose for a picture.