Hands of the Puppeteer, Mexico City

Two rough, work-hardened hands fill this photograph, busy at their task. They belong to a puppeteer, threading strings and adjusting the carved wooden pieces that make his puppets move. Tina Modotti took this picture in Mexico City in 1929, and rather than showing a face or a finished marionette, she zeroed in on the hands themselves. The strings, the little hook, and the smooth sticks tell the whole story of a craft that usually stays hidden behind the stage.

Born in Italy, Modotti made Mexico her true home, joining a spirited group of artists and political thinkers who shaped the country's cultural life. Working people fascinated her, and she photographed laborers with a seriousness usually reserved for grand subjects. Her style is spare and clean, cutting out any clutter so that the essential thing takes center stage. Against the soft gray backdrop, those fingers seem almost carved from stone, steady and sure in their motion. A humble subject, treated with real care.