New York

Vintage: New York by Andreas Feininger (1940s)

Vintage: New York by Andreas Feininger (1940s)

In advance of World War II, in 1939, Andreas Feininger immigrated to the U.S. where he established himself as a freelance photographer. In 1943 he joined the staff of Life magazine, an association that lasted until 1962. Feininger became famous for his photographs of New York.
Dorothea Lange: Words + Pictures

Dorothea Lange: Words + Pictures

Towards the end of her life, Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965) remarked that “all photographs―not only those that are so-called ‘documentary,’ and every photograph really is documentary and belongs in some place, has a place in history―can be fortified by words.” Though Lange’s career is widely heralded, this connection between words and pictures has received scant attention. Published in conjunction with…
Vintage: New York’s original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (1903)

Vintage: New York’s original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (1903)

The original Waldorf-Astoria was among America’s first big hotels. When it was built during the Victorian era, and for years thereafter, it was considered the finest hotel in the world — and it soon became the most famous, for its reputation was carried wherever civilization had spread, and even where only explorers had gone. The roster of its clientele has…
Elliott Erwitt’s New York

Elliott Erwitt’s New York

Elliott Erwitt’s masterpiece is now available in a handy format and an unbeatable price – an ideal gift for lovers of New York and its spirit. Elliott Erwitt s glimpses of New York City are sometimes gritty, sometimes elegant, yet always true to life. His monochromatic tribute to the Big Apple contains all the shadings of this vital metropolis. Capturing…
Vintage: Christmas Shopping in the past

Vintage: Christmas Shopping in the past

“Christmas creep” refers to a merchandising phenomenon in which merchants and retailers exploit the commercialized status of Christmas by moving up the start of the holiday shopping season. The term was first used in the mid-1980s, and is associated with a desire of merchants to take advantage of particularly heavy Christmas-related shopping well before Black Friday in the United States…
Vintage: Smith and Telfer Studio in Cooperstown, New York (1865-1885)

Vintage: Smith and Telfer Studio in Cooperstown, New York (1865-1885)

Washington G. Smith (1828-1893) and Arthur J. Telfer (1859-1954) spent almost one hundred years photographing people, events, and scenes in and around Cooperstown. At the time of his gift Telfer was 93 years old and was widely thought to be the oldest working photographer in the United States. Washington Smith worked with partners while he learned the daguerreotype and ambrotype…
Arbus Friedlander Winogrand: New Documents, 1967

Arbus Friedlander Winogrand: New Documents, 1967

n the past decade a new generation of photographers has directed the documentary approach toward more personal ends. Their aim has been not to reform life, but to know it. ―John Szarkowski In 1967, The Museum of Modern Art presented New Documents, a landmark exhibition organized by John Szarkowski that brought together a selection of works by three photographers whose…
Vintage: Everyday Life of New York by Wallace G. Levison (19th Century)

Vintage: Everyday Life of New York by Wallace G. Levison (19th Century)

Wallace G. Levison was a chemist, inventor, and lecturer who founded the Departments of Mineralogy and Astronomy at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences in the latter half of the 19th century. As the dawn of the 20th century approached, newer, more sensitive film emulsions were developed that allowed pictures to be taken with faster and faster shutter speeds.…
Serge Ramelli: New York

Serge Ramelli: New York

Black-and-white urban photography has a unique effect: It can lend a historical feel or bring out perspectives and surfaces in a special way. Serge Ramelli’s New York photos do both—and much more. With his film director’s eye, he searches out locations using parameters that evoke a specific atmosphere and build tension. The New York skyline or typical New York street…
Vintage: New York City before the Indoor Toilets

Vintage: New York City before the Indoor Toilets

If you’ve ever bemoaned the fact that you share a bathroom with several family members or housemates, you’re not alone. Most New Yorkers live in apartments and most units have just a single bathroom. A hundred and fifty years ago, however, the situation was much worse. At the time, New Yorkers had just a few choices when it came to…
Vintage: Snow Removal in the New York City (late 19th Century)

Vintage: Snow Removal in the New York City (late 19th Century)

Snow removal was a daunting task at the time, without the more sophisticated equipment that we have today, removing snow meant shovels and carriages. They were still testing out methods of removal, and it wasn’t always quick and efficient. For the most part, you would see masses of snow shovelers out on the street, who would load snow into horse-drawn…
Vintage: People Mesmerized by Holiday Windows in New York City (1900s)

Vintage: People Mesmerized by Holiday Windows in New York City (1900s)

Each year department stores unveil their holiday window displays to admiring crowds. Festive windows have been a tradition in New York City since the 1870s; R.H. Macy, of the retailer Macy’s, is largely credited with having created one of the first Christmas window displays in 1874. In recent years, gazing into store windows has become almost as much a tradition…
Cheap Rents… and de Kooning: The downtown art world New York, 1957-63

Cheap Rents… and de Kooning: The downtown art world New York, 1957-63

Cheap rents … and de Kooning revisits the New York downtown art scene between 1957 and 1963, when the 10th Street galleries were the center of the art world and inexpensive lofts were still available. Living in this dynamic neighborhood, John Cohen photographed a series of its famous and infamous artists’ haunts―among them the legendary Cedar Bar, the Artists’ Club…
Michael Massaia: Deep in a Dream: New York City

Michael Massaia: Deep in a Dream: New York City

Sometime in his mid-20s, Michael Massaia began experiencing extreme bouts of insomnia. To fill the sleepless nights, the artist would travel into Manhattan to enjoy walks through the city without all of the chaos and cacophony. Carrying his personally retooled large-format cameras, Massaia started to shoot elegant, hushed photographs of Central Park devoid of people. Often preferring the early spring…
Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao: Central Park New York: 24 Solar Terms

Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao: Central Park New York: 24 Solar Terms

The title of the show takes its name from the ancient Chinese lunar calendar, which divides the year into 24 segments, each segment given a specific solar term. This system provided a time frame for agriculture, everyday life and festivals. Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao was born in Taiwan in 1977, and immigrated in 1999 to the United States, residing in the…
A City Seen: Todd Webb’s Postwar New York, 1945-1960

A City Seen: Todd Webb’s Postwar New York, 1945-1960

Featuring more than 100 images, accompanied by entries from Webb’s own journal, the exhibition highlights Todd Webb’s personal exploration of the city that enthralled him while providing an expansive document of New York in the years following World War II. As a newly discharged Navy veteran, Webb (1905-2000) moved to New York in 1945 to dedicate a year to photographing…
Gabriele Croppi – New York: Metaphysics of the Urban Landscape

Gabriele Croppi – New York: Metaphysics of the Urban Landscape

Throughout the 20th century we have seen every form of landscape, nude, and other genre captured in gelatin silver and platinum prints by scores of brilliant artists. But to produce innovative black-and-white images in the 21st century that reveal something fresh and exciting is indeed very difficult. Moreover, to find an artist who is capturing photographs of New York City,…
Fink on Warhol: New York Photographs of the 1960s

Fink on Warhol: New York Photographs of the 1960s

Until 30 April, fifteen black and white photographs illustrating the dialogue between the social and political fervour of New York of the ’60s and the artistic and nihilistic figure of Andy Warhol and exponents of the Factory will be on display. The photographs showing Andy Warhol and some of the top names from the Factory, including Lou Reed and the…
Vintage: Pushcart Markets in New York (Early 20th Century)

Vintage: Pushcart Markets in New York (Early 20th Century)

Pushcart vendors were initially not required to have a license to peddle their wares (“Pushcarts”). This quickly changed, however, and they were required to pay a small fee to ply their trade. The fee would change over the years, but one thing was certain, the license was never strictly enforced. Many pushcart vendors bribed the local police in order to…