The relaxed but confident cattleman in the center looks directly at the photographer. The gesture of his left arm sets off an undulating wave pattern, extending through the horns of the steers, and is set against the stark black rectangular openings of the building in the rear.

There is ample space around the three central figures. The V-shape of the two staffs ignites the visual energy of this picture. Three young cattlemen, wearing berets typical of the Basque region, stare directly at the photographer, one smiling, the other two eying him coolly.  With few exceptions, the images in this exhibition are presented as Scheuer saw them. The black borders around the perimeter show that they have not been cropped.

Scheuer was interested not only in how the local people look, but in what they did. He was drawn to shopkeepers and artisans at work.  Here a cheesemonger in the French Basque region arranges her wares.

Just try walking down the street carrying three live ducks! Now, try photographing that guy. Scheuer caught this subject in a moment when he had stepped into a pool of light between two shadows.

Lengths of rawhide used in shoemaking dangle over a pair of empty shoes on the left, making a surrealistic stand-in for a human figure. On the right, strands of hide hanging in a dark doorway and a ghostly highlight complete the eerie framing of the shoemaker and his sleepy friend.

This view from above the Old Town Market in Dubrovnik emphasizes the headgear and clothing of the people below.

Multiple faces are hidden amongst the scarves as a man wipes his brow on a hot summer day. Was the man purchasing the three spools of thread?

Scheuer was unafraid to engage this ragged but friendly man.

The cut-off figure at the frame edge, the expressive hand shapes, and the circular hat, pail and pan contribute to the formal structure here. The wooden frames break the rectangle into classical thirds.

Men socialize at the ritual foot-washing fountain outside a mosque in Sarajevo. The out-of-focus curtain on the left edge may indicate that the photo was taken through a bus window.

Lit simultaneously from the from the back and front, this elegant dandy with his cigarette and elfin shoes strikes a smiling pose.

The interplay of light and architectural elements here heightens the drama of the three women in hijab in the center and suggests the influence of the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson.

This dapper gentleman appears to be a vendor of brushes, combs, and mirrors.

An old man leans on his cane and into the light. A matronly woman evaluates a basket of grapes. These two occupy the same space but are oblivious to one another. Between them a young man, striding forward purposefully, glares at the photographer.

This man may not be a resident of this Jewish neighborhood. He wears a heavy coat and cap for open air driving. How would you describe his expression?

Perhaps the seated man in the foreground, beaming at the photographer, is the proprietor. His assistant, barely visible on the left, may be repairing a damaged shoe, the mate of which is in the crook of the arm of the man on the right, who also holds a pair of new dress shoes in his hand. Is the young man to his right his son?

This man greets the young photographer with a friendly expression.

Again, the subject makes eye contact with the photographer.

The man in center right may be missing his right eye. We’ll see the young man with the necktie again in another photograph.

This is Nalewki Street, the commercial center of the Warsaw Jewish Quarter. Six years after Richard Scheuer’s visit, it became part of the Warsaw Ghetto, and was destroyed when the Nazis razed the Ghetto in 1943.

A street photographer must make instantaneous choices regarding focus and length of exposure, depending on the available light. There are always trade-offs. In this case, Scheuer opted for a relatively long exposure, and a medium lens aperture that kept the middle and the background sharp. The old men in their traditional dress and the young boy in a white sailor suit stepping into the store entrance are in sharp focus, but the figures at the sides, dressed in more modern clothing, are in soft focus, and slightly blurred by motion. Scheuer’s use of cut-off figures, out of focus elements and motion blur extends the range of what is acceptable in a photograph, anticipating the street photography aesthetic of Robert Frank and Garry Winogrand in the 1950’s and later.

The sign indicates a paint store -- cans are just barely visible on the shelves behind him. This man’s silk clothing and watch chain suggest that he is relatively prosperous.

The two painted figures on the shutters echo the two standing men. A symphony of rectangles fills the tightly organized frame. Here we have the full cycle of life: The child in the stroller in the lower right, the two middle-aged men who converse amiably, one engaging the child, and an elderly man with a cane walking out of the frame on the left. The cut-off figures on the right and left sides of this image add to its power. Form and content interweave to make a complete artistic statement.

Although this looks like a studio head shot, we know from adjacent frames that this man is sitting on a bench in a train station. Scheuer recognized a dramatic lighting opportunity here.

Lenin’s portrait hovers over this ominous scene. Is this a routine check-in or visa application, or is the woman on the left in the dock? Scheuer captured this scene from a low angle, probably concealing his camera.

A uniformed brass player leads the band.

dsaldslfklfgkdlgfklkgldfkgldfgk

The Moscow Children’s Theater was known for its innovative sets and costumes.

Sholom Aleichem’s 1916 Yiddish comedy “Dos Groyse Gevins,” is also translated as “The $200,000”. This play is about a poor tailor who wins a lottery. The two scenes shown are before and after the big win.