"Evans believed his photographs were
self-explanatory; the presence of words implied that the image
was somehow deficient." Keeping the images separate from Agee's
text brought more recognition to the images themselves, and it was a
total break from the trends of photo-journalism, which used images
to illustrate text.
The images are quintessential of Evans' "documentary style"; Evans'
dis-interested approach to these families resulted in portraying
them with dignity and strength, although they lived in complete
poverty. He sought to show the beauty of order and respectability
within such an impoverished condition.