At what point does graffiti become historical artifact? There are two boulders at the Hunts Mills site in East Providence that are covered with graffiti. The rock carvings all date to the mid-1930s, although it's not clear why. In the early 20th century, there was a dance hall and a carousel at the site, but the dance hall burnt in 1925. This graffiti is from a decade later. I have not yet found any details around the destruction of the carousel, so I can't tell if it still existed when this graffiti was carved. Either way, it's clear that this location was a teen hangout during the Great Depression. It also raises the question as to whether or not this was a hobo site. There were freight trains and passenger trolleys very close to this location, and the Ten Mile River provided fresh water. Given that all dates on these rocks range from 1936 to 1938, my best guess at the moment is that it's graffiti from a hobo encampment.
Post processing started with a highlight recovery filter in Topaz Adjust. I then adjusted adaptive exposure, details, strength, and contrast. I added a levels adjustment in PSE.
