ONCE UPON A TIME IN BROWNTOWN; THE ORIGINAL BOLEROS

(Ed.'s note: We were sent this old Brownsville photo by a friend of this blog and were struck by the poignancy of the scene. It depicts eight shoeshine boys and their handler on the still unpaved streets of Brownsville. We are assuming the scene was photographed on Elizabeth Street but are not sure. These boys were probably earning pennies for their labor. Notice they have no shoes themselves. If anyone knows the photographer (Robert Runyon?) or any of the boys or their manager in the photo, we'd be most appreciative and will add to the information. Thanks in advance.)