Court of the First Model Tenement in New York City, 1325-1343 First Avenue
Artist
Berenice Abbott
(American, 1898 - 1991)
DateMarch 16, 1936; printed 1979
CultureAmerican
MediumGelatin silver print
ClassificationPhotographs
Credit LineGift of Warren J. and Margot Coville, 2004
Object numberSN11112.1
A native of Ohio, Berenice Abbott never had formal photography training, but her interest in art prompted her to move to New York City. Through her connections in the art world, she relocated to Paris in 1921, where she experimented with sculpture and poetry. In 1923, photographer Man Ray hired her as his darkroom assistant, and she quickly mastered various photographic processes. Through Man Ray she met Atget, the famed photographer of Parisian street life. This meeting shaped much of what Abbott would consider worthy subject matter in her career as a photographer. Upon returning to New York City in 1929, she began to photograph all aspects of the city, from glamour to squalor. In this candid view of a New York tenement, the saggy clothes suggest a depressed view of city life.
On View
Not on viewMat: 30 x 23 15/16 in. (76.2 x 60.8 cm)
Berenice Abbott
March 20, 1936 (printed later)
