Gordon Parks: Herklas Brown and Maine, 1944

In January 1944, Gordon Parks (1912–2006) photographed Herklas Brown—the owner of a general store and Esso gas station in Somerville, Maine. Parks traveled to the state under the auspices of the Standard Oil Company New Jersey (SONJ) to record their contributions to the war effort and document the home front in this crucial period. His photographs chronicled oil and gas facilities and workers,...