Diane Arbus "Child With Toy Hand Grenade"

Diane Arbus was an American photographer who became interested in art at a young age. Her first camera was a gift from her husband Allan. Arbus was influenced by Lisette Model, a street photographer of the early to mid-20th century. The article states how Model helped Arbus find the confidence to make the photographs she wanted. Most of her photos were taken during the 1950s and 1960s. She took black and white photos of people who she found unique and different.

This photograph was taken in 1962, in Central Park. While taking this photo, Arbus was engaging with the little boy while moving around him, she was trying to find the right angle. The other photos she took of this boy shows the way he was acting in front of the camera. The little boy, Colin Wood, is the son of the tennis player, Sidney Wood. While being interviewed, Colin said does not remember Arbus taking the photo of him but he remembers the reason he made the face. He said that he was imitating a face he had seen in a war movie, which he liked to watch at the time.