As a 14-year-old prostitute from Seattle became the Muse of photographer for life

Photographer Mary Ellen mark found his Muse, the 14-year-old prostitute named tiny (Tiny tiny) on the streets of Seattle. She inspired her series of photographs about life at the bottom.

Already deceased photographer Mary Ellen mark in an interview with Leica News told about his first meeting with tiny. She came to Seattle in 1983, on assignment for Life magazine to documenting the lives of homeless and runaway adolescents from the parents. Mark waited at the entrance to the club, which was called the Monastery ("Monastery"), where often squatted street children.

Tiny and her mother, Pat, 1983.

Tiny, Seattle, 1983.

Thus began a relationship that would last until death mark in 2015. A photo exhibition called "tiny: memories sophisticated street" (Tiny: Streetwise Revisited) held in new York, tells about the life of tiny from when she served customers on the streets of Seattle until it became a middle-aged woman with ten children.

Tiny, Halloween, 1983.

On black-and-white images — a young woman, both tough and vulnerable, sophisticated and naive, suffering and optimistic.

Tiny, pregnant Deylon, 1985.

Raison and tiny on the couch, 1999.

Blurred imagination felt in the picture, "Halloween", which is tiny wearing a black veil and a stylish black gloves. She seems to have come from the pages of a fashion magazine. Mark said that tiny was dressed as "a Parisian prostitute."

Tiny with his dogs Bean and Chloe, 2014.

There is something disarming in her behavior, sensitive adult in a child's body that defies the beholder, so that he was looking at her now.

Rat and Mike with a gun, 1983.

Tiny smokes in bed with Miccai, 1999.

Kianna and Lashondra, Seattle, 1999.

Pat, Julien and tiny in the trailer at Pat, 2003.

We see the effects of poverty, drug use and street life, the scars that they leave on her flesh and in her eyes. And we see the vitality of the spirit, which causes us to continue to live, to dream about horses and to fight to be noticed.