The Boss, 1932
Silver Gelatin
Paul R. Jones Collection, Atlanta, GA

Polk related that the subject of The Boss was first hesitant to pose for him because she had no money. When he reassured her she would be paid two dollars for her time, she agreed. He said, "Now this is a lady...I asked her to come on campus. When she came in the studio, while I was getting my camera ready, I looked up, and I said, that woman can boss anybody.... She could even beat Joe Louis! Well, to make the picture, I said, Madame, put your hands on your hips....And there she is."

The strength of her face and body, the steadfastness of her pose, and the doubly charged significance of the picture's title create an image that resonates with visual and symbolic power. From the time that Polk's first portfolio was published in the 1970s, The Boss was consistently his best selling photograph.