This photograph was taken to make a social statement about mercury poisoning that was happening in Minamata, Japan, causing many people to die. The mercury was from the Chisso Corporation’s chemical factory. This photo was part of a photo essay done by W Euegene Smith for LIFE Magazine to bring attention to the disease and the destruction that it was causing. The picture shows a mother with her child, who has severe birth defects due to mercury poisoning, in the bath. The photo shows a very intimate moment between mother and child, the faint lighting in the picture, only highlighting the two figures makes the moment even more dramatic. This brings identity and individuality to the crisis and shows how it is affecting people and their families, in hopes that this will bring more attention to the issue and make more efforts to solve it.