Nostalgic Mountains – Village Woman Washing Clothes

The photo taken around 1960s is part of Huang Tse-hsiu's "High Mountains, Ancient Affections" ?series. The portrait format is divided into two halves: The subjects, human figures, are set off by the grass hut behind them, the hut occupying the upper half of the picture, the people the lower half, the images resonating with each other. In the foreground, four figures are squatted on the ground. In the middle, facing the camera is a woman in a white headscarf, scrubbing an article of clothing. To her right, two small children are playing with objects they hold in their hands. On the left, nearest the camera, a schoolgirl, leaning over with her head bowed, also appears to be washing clothes. The poses are natural, the subjects seemingly unaware of the photographer's presence, the picture a record of life in Taiwan's mountain regions.