Famous Photographers - Part 17 (Chapter 1) - Berenice Abbott
Famous Photographers - Part 17 (Chapter 1) - Berenice Abbott
The intended essay on the photos of Zoe Marieh Urness will be delayed, so I sought another renowned female photographer and discovered Berenice Abbott.
"Berenice Abbott, née Bernice Alice Abbott, (1898 - 1991) was an American photographer best known for her portraits of between-the-wars 20th-century cultural figures, New York City photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and science interpretation in the 1940s–1960s." (Wikipedia)
Her start with serious photography was in Paris as a darkroom assistant for Man Ray (his name crops up in connection with other famous photographers I have featured, such as Lee Miller), where she started taking portraits of persons famous at the time. Her portraits include actor Jean Cocteau, Coco Chanel, author James Joyce, artist Max Ernst, and later in America, NBC founder David Sarnoff and musician Leadbelly.
As well as her portraits, she eventually became involved with science photography, for example using a strobe light to indicate the movement of a bouncing ball:
However, in between those two directions, her most famous work was her series "Changing New York" featuring photos of New York in the 1930s, as a "museum piece" to preserve the vintage architecture and lifestyle of a city that was fast developing. She took hundreds of photos of the city that are maintained in archives, from which I have chosen 100 to display in this and the following Famous Photographers article.
Here are the first 50 of the "Changing New York" photos. Most of them were taken in Manhattan, and the few that were from the boroughs are specifically identified as such. Those of you who are in or from New York, or your parents or grandparents who have lived there, may remember what was, and recognize or know what has replaced these scenes, and I hope will enjoy seeing these vintage photos.
1. Broom Street, nos. 512-514
2. Gas Tank and Queensboro Bridge, East 62nd Street at York Avenue.
3. Broome Street, nos. 504-506
4. Country Store, Interior, Ewan Avenue, Spuyten Duyui, Bronx
5. Vanderbilt, from East 46th Street
6. Newsstand, 32nd Street at 3rd Avenue
7. Old and New Chambers Streets
8. Jefferson Market Court, Corner 6th Avenue and West 10th Street
9. Tri-Boro Barber School, 264 Bowery
10. Blossom Restaurant, 103 Bowery
11. Huts and Unemployed, West Houston and Mercer Streets
12. Murray Hill Hotel, 112 Park Avenue
13. Henry Street
14. Fulton Street Dock
15. Gramercy Park, nos 3-5 (Buzz note: I had an elderly distant cousin named Boris who lived there when I was a little kid.)
16. Seventh Avenue Looking South from 35th Street
17. Oldest Apartment House in New York City, 142 East 18th Street
18. Ferry, West 23rd Street
19. Gasoline Station, 10th Avenue and 29th Street
20. El' Station, 6th and 9th Avenue Lines, 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue
21. Whelen's Drug Store, 44th Street and 8th Avenue
22. Rope Store, South Street and James Slip
23. Automat, 977 8th Avenue
24. Columbus Circle
25. Court of First Model Tenement Home in New York, 72nd Street and 1st Avenue
26. A&P (Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.) 246 3rd Avenue (Buzz note: I don't know if there still are A&P groceries, but, risking that you have already heard this story, there was a big A&P across from the big farmer's market in the city where I grew up. My father used to tell this story, swearing that he was there and heard it happen. A woman asked a farmer how much his cucumbers were, and the farmer answered "10 cents each." The lady then said "That's too expensive, I can buy cucumbers at the A&P over there 2 for 25 cents." to which the farmer replied, "Lady, if A&P can afford to lose money, then so can I. You can have 2 for 25 cents.")
27. Manhattan Skyline from South Street and Jones Line
28. Madison Square, Looking North East.
29. Jay Street, no. 115, Brooklyn
30. Cedar Street, from William
31. Travelling Tin Shop, Brooklyn
32. St. Bartholomew's, Waldorf Astoria, General Electric Building, Park Avenue and 51st Street
33. Department of Docks and Police Station, Pier A, North River
34. Radio Row, Cortland Street
35. Lyric Theatre, 3rd Avenue between 12th and 13th Streets
36. Brooklyn Bridge, Water and Dock Streets, Looking South West, Brooklyn
37. Firehouse, Battery
38. Fulton Street Fish Market
39. Milk Wagon and Old Houses, Grove Street, nos. 4-10
40. El' Station 9th Avenue Line, Christopher and Greenwich Streets
41. Greyhound Bus Terminal, 33rd and 34th Streets between 7th and 8th Avenues
42. Penn Station, Interior
43. Herald Square, 34th Street and Broadway
44. Grand Opera House, North West Corner, West 23rd Street and 8th Avenue
45. Broad Street, Looking Towards Wall Street
46. Custom House Station in Rear of New York Produce Exchange Building, 2 Broadway
47. Park Row, "Newspaper Row"
48. Tugboats, Pier 11, East River
49. Ferry, Central Rail Road of New Jersey, Foot of Liberty Street
50. Lebanon Restaurant (Syrian) 88 Washington Street
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Actually I enjoyed looking at the cars.
Great Job Buzz. Thanks
A most interesting somewhat "documentary" grouping of images that, again, IMO, would not be as effective if, in full color.
Keep 'em comin', Buzz!
I agree that in this case, as historical vintage photography, it is most effective in B&W.
Cool pics Buzz thanks for the knowledge of uploading images.
AR
No comments from New Yorkers? Pity.
These are great! I had no idea that A&P was around back then. We still had them here in Georgia in the 90's and was my 1st job when I was 15
. That story about the cucumbers was hilarious LOL!