New York City in the 1930s, As Seen Through the Lens of Berenice Abbott

From a New Compilation of Her Work

June 3, 2019

The following are selections from Berenice Abbott: Portraits of Modernity, a collection of the legendary American photographer’s portraits, photographs of the city, and scientific photographs. Click to view a slideshow.

: Huddie W. Ledbetter (Leadbelly), 1940s 25.1 x 20.3 cm The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, Photography Collection. The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

: Canyon: Broadway and Exchange Place, 1936 25.1 × 20.3 cm The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, Photography Collection. The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

: Canyon, May 12, 1936. 59.1 x 47 cm International Center of Photography, Gift of Jonathan A. Berg, 1984 (679.1984)

: Construction, Old and New, from Washington Street, New York, 1936. 33.7 x 26.4 cm International Center of Photography, Gift of Ronald A. Kurtz, 1988 (480.1988)

: Wall Street, showing East River from roof of Irving Trust Company Building, Manhattan, 1938. 41.1 x 30.2 cm The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, Photography Collection. The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

: Broadway near Broome Street, Manhattan, 1935. 20.3 x 25.4 cm The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, Photography Collection. The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations.

: Pike and Henry Streets, March 6, 1936. 16.5 x 24.1 cm Museum of the City of New York. Gift of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1949.

: Under Riverside Drive Viaduct, November 10, 1937. 20.3×25.1 cm International Center of Photography, Purchase, with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Lois and Bruce Zenkel Purchase Fund, 1983 (382.1983)

: Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, 168th Street and Broadway, from 165th Street and Riverside Drive, Manhattan, 1937. 20.3 x 25.4 cm The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, Photography Collection. The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

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Excerpted from Berenice Abbott: Portraits of Modernity. Used with permission of DAP.

Berenice Abbott

Berenice Abbott (1891–1991) was born in Springfield, Ohio. She began her photography career in 1923, as Man Ray's darkroom assistant. Her work is collected in some of the most prestigious museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art.

Photo credit:
Self Portrait – Distortion, c. 1930
16.8 × 13.7 cm, printed in 1945-1950
Courtesy Howard Greenberg Gallery

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