This is a picture of another one of the kids in the Hungarian family that lived at 1248 Wilson in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. I took it on Christmas day of 1974. At least a dozen people lived in this three room apartment. They had a nice Christmas tree, but I didn’t see any presents underneath it, nor did I see kids playing with toys. That might account for the rather blank expression on his face. And that’s why I call this picture “No Santa?” For some people, Christmas brings poverty into sharp relief. I will say one thing for this family though. They seemed tight knit. They might not have had much in terms of material wealth, but they had a rich family life. If they didn’t have toys to play with, they had each other.
