#24: Mickey the Shoeshine Boy
This photograph is one of a series of photos taken for LOOK Magazine in 1947. The photo series follows a day in the life of Mickey, and 12-year-old shoeshine boy who shined shoes in and around Brooklyn to help support this family. You will never guess who took this beautifully composed street photograph.
This photo was taken by none other than Stanley Kubrick. Yes, that Stanley Kubrick. Before becoming a famous director, Kubrick was a young photographer working for LOOK. A then-teenage Kubrick followed Mickey and photographed his day in the city. Even at an early age, you can see Kubrick’s eye for composition. No one knows for sure what happened to Mickey the shoeshine boy, but we hope he got to see these photos.