Prentiss Childs and Chum

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

Masha Arms photographed Prentiss Childs (seated in the front), the son of Marquis and Lue (Prentiss) Childs, and his friend using her F2 Puppille miniature camera. The boys’ expressions and the upward angle of this photograph create an unforgettable image of childhood. Originally from Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Masha Arms arrived in Washington, D.C., during the Great Depression. After buying a Model G Leica camera in 1934, and teaching herself about the technical aspects of photography, she landed a job teaching at the King-Smith Studio School in 1936. Masha Arms’ work was published in a 1936 Washington Post review of the Junior League Gallery exhibition alongside photographs by Ansel Adams and Margaret Bourke-White. In 1941, when the United States entered World War II, Masha left Washington, married William Tyler Arms of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and moved back to New England.

Related Items

Details

Item typePhotograph
PhotographerArms, Masha
Datecirca 1938
PlaceMaryland
EraGreat Depression and World War II, 1929–1945
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPhotography
Dimension detailsHeight: 13.25 in Width: 10.75 in Height (mount): 19.81 in Width (mount): 15.00 in
Catalog #2005.09.1
View this item in our curatorial database →
Arms, Masha, photographer. Prentiss Childs and Chum. Photograph. ca. 1938. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/2005-09-1/. Accessed on October 15, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.