Boston

Boston (Night at an ATM kiosk.)

1999 · Not on view · National Gallery of Art

Boston (When the lights go out in this small Boston shelter, men sleep on cots on one side of the room, women on the other. Tammy and Rodney try to share a tender moment, but privacy does not exist in this crowded environment.)

1999 · Not on view · National Gallery of Art

Boston (One way in which the staff at the Pine Street Inn tries to establish relationships of trust with their homeless clientele is by encouraging them to have foot soaks at the end of the day. Afterwards, they are given clean socks and, if necessary, new shoes. The nurses have often found that over a period of time, their guests relax enough during these sessions to tell them what is on their minds.)

1999 · Not on view · National Gallery of Art

Boston (Darrel and Barbara met a year ago when Darrel saw Barbara sitting on a wall. "We talked and decided to pool our money to buy a half-pint," he says. "We've been together ever since." On frigid weekends, especially after the sun sets and before the shelter opens, they ride the subway to keep warm. "Riding the train gives us some peace, some space away from the rest of them.")

1999 · Not on view · National Gallery of Art

Boston (Alcoholism is only one of the many health problems on the street. Every night in Boston, two mobile units, each with at least one medical person and two outreach workers, patrol the streets and back alleys of the city. They bring hot food, blankets, clothing, and most important, a sympathetic ear.)

1999 · Not on view · National Gallery of Art

Boston

1999 · Not on view · National Gallery of Art

Boston (At the Boston Night Center, Toni Abraham, a nurse practitioner from the Boston Health Care for the Homeless program, supervises while nurse Jack Castro and Mark Lepore, a student from Boston University Medical School, bandage the badly infected foot of a homeless man. Often, homeless people will first present themselves to health personnel when they have serious problems with their feet. Swelling of the feet and legs, cellulitis, and skin ulcerations are common among people living on the street. Inadequate opportunities to bathe, ill-fitting and wet shoes, and exposure to the elements all contribute to medical problems. "When your feet don't work, you can’t do the things that you need to do," says one.)

1999 · Not on view · National Gallery of Art

Boston (Sharon Morrison, a nurse with the Family Team at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, has a special fondness and respect for this young mother and her daughter. She marvels at the calm and loving manner of the mother and the corresponding spirit of joy and playfulness in her child. The little girl is about to undergo emergency brain surgery to replace a shunt.)

1999 · Not on view · National Gallery of Art

Leonardo da Vinci

Ginevra de' Benci [obverse], c. 1474/1478

Leonardo da Vinci

Wreath of Laurel, Palm, and Juniper with a Scroll inscribed Virtutem Forma Decorat [reverse], c. 1474/1478

Vincent van Gogh

Green Wheat Fields, Auvers, 1890

Vincent van Gogh

Girl in White, 1890

Vincent van Gogh

Roses, 1890

Vincent van Gogh

Self-Portrait, 1889

Vincent van Gogh

Farmhouse in Provence, 1888

Vincent van Gogh

La Mousmé, 1888