Meatpacking Cows, undated ‘I was walking by a printers called Underwood and Underwood, and I saw a sign saying, ‘Darkroom Help Wanted! – No Experience Necessary!’ I remember it was the ‘no experience’ bit that caught my attention – I didn’t know what the job would entail. At that time they were short on people to print photographs because so many men had been drafted, so I applied and got the job’

Photograph: Vivian Cherry/Courtesy Daniel Cooney Fine Art, New York