Let's take look at some good ol' New York ephemera-- in color.
Before the 1950s, color photography was primarily reserved for advertising, fashion and family snapshots (and as a hobby for amateur shutterbugs like Charles W. Cushman). It took a group of professional photogs to turn it into an accepted artform. In New York, it was Bruce Davidson, Ernst Haas, Saul Leiter, Helen Levitt, Joel Meyerowitz, and Marvin Newman (a member of the blacklisted New York Photo League), among others, who helped the city see itself in more than black and white.
"New York In Color," a new exhibition at The Howard Greenberg Gallery, features the work of these photographers. From the rollercoasters on Coney Island to the barflies of Manhattan, take a brief tour below of a vanished city in chromes even Instagram can't replicate. And for more, be sure to check out the full show at The HGG, at 57th Street and Madison, running until March 17th.
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Let's take look at some good ol' New York ephemera-- in color.
Before the 1950s, color photography was primarily reserved for advertising, fashion and family snapshots (and as a hobby for amateur ...
Let's take look at some good ol' New York ephemera-- in color.
Before the 1950s, color photography was primarily reserved for advertising, fashion and family snapshots (and as a hobby for amateur ...
If anyone wants to see more pictures of New York from the old days there are two Weegee exhibits, one in Chelsea and the other at the International Center of Photography (ICP). I checked out the one in Chelsea on Tuesday, and couldn't help wondering if any of the people were long lost relatives!
There is also a multimedia exhibit of the history of "Happenings" that took place in New York in the late 50s/early 60s at the Pace Gallery in Chelsea.
PCCNYC: If anyone wants to see more pictures of New York
Welcome! Been here my whole life [ 63 and counting ]. It's people like you that make NYC such a great place too live! ............ New faces, new ideas!
bar1ed: Welcome! Been here my whole life [ 63 and counting
I still go back to some our family vacation photos from NYC in the 50's and early 60's.
The city is so different now (even though I haven't been back in about 10 years).
AJOHMSS: I still go back to some our family vacation photos
I was just "home" for the weekend. I walked from Grand Central up to 85th and West End. It's a shame what's happened to NY. I walked thru Times Square which I haven't done in 20 years and I nearly threw up.
csedan: I was just "home" for the weekend. I walked from
This is all revisionist history. I happen to know for a fact that from the mid 1800's through to about 1930, the entire world was sepia toned. World War 1 was fought in sepia. Around 1930 the world turned entirely to black and white (WW2 was fought in black and white) and the world was not really in color until after the Wizard of Oz. Prior to the 1800's everything was hand drawn.
liveinhope23: This is all revisionist history. I happen to know for
this is a New York that is gone..replaced by cookie cutter koproate locations that resemble any mall in the USA..thanks Mr. Bloomberg for chasing away the locals....
rikster: this is a New York that is gone..replaced by cookie
Don't worry, the Satmar in Brooklyn are the fastest growing minority population in the country. That isn't a joke, though it sounds like one. They are quite proud of their claim to fame. They have enough political clout Bloomsburg will try to erase bike paths. Impressive.
garystartswithg: Don't worry, the Satmar in Brooklyn are the fastest growing
Yes, but it's encouraging that cyclists haven't just rolled over. They've repainted the paths under the darkness of night. :-)
What you say about the Satmar is frightening, however, since they've been attempting to influence the city government to favor their religious beliefs over the rights of other citizens. If they can't stand looking at women in tank tops and shorts cycling by or women sunbathing, then they shouldn't look. No one is forcing them...
Cynth: Yes, but it's encouraging that cyclists haven't just rolled over.
Bloomberg has worked hard to turn New York into a giant Geneva, Switzerland.
He succeeded in the "malling of NY" such that the young people who arrive are often seen sitting flat on the sidewalks outside of an H&M, just like they do in suburban malls...unfortunately nobody bothers to tells them that rats urinated there the night before.
Bylow_Selhai: Bloomberg has worked hard to turn New York into a
Back in the good old days before Mickey Mouse skittered up 42nd Street and Times Square morphed into an overpriced food court and shopping mall. Back then it was a neighborhood, now it's a luxe tourist trap. Even theatre, its main draw, has taken a nose dive; back then it was Stephen Sondheim and MIchael Bennett and Harold Prince, now it's "Shrek," "Mary Poppins," and the endless semi-annual revivals of "La Cage aux Folles" and "Gypsy."
standish: Back in the good old days before Mickey Mouse skittered
You forgot Spiderman: A New Hope. And Phantom's 100,000,000,000th show. I think its a change in audience -- the boomers want something to make them feel good about their vapid little souls. And wings at TGI Fridays.
garystartswithg: You forgot Spiderman: A New Hope. And Phantom's 100,000,000,000th show.
Yes, its is scary to think that I saw "Phantom" back in 1988 when I was a mere tad. Somehow, I don't think I will be saying the same thing about "Spiderman" if I do see it at all, which I probably will not (my insurance doesn't cover getting clobbered by falling actors).
standish: Yes, its is scary to think that I saw "Phantom"
stick to the dramas, Lincoln Ctr, Roundabout, manhattan theatre club & off Broadway & there is still great theater. musicals for the most part are for the tourists.
peggysmom: stick to the dramas, Lincoln Ctr, Roundabout, manhattan theatre club
Sorry, I will never forgive the Roundabout for naming a theater after an airline. It started one of the worst trends in the ongoing commercialization of the American theatre. In England they name theaters after theatre luminaries. In New York, they name them after modes of transportation. Very sad.
standish: Sorry, I will never forgive the Roundabout for naming a
At least one of those photos, the one with the movie marquees, was shot in 1960, because that's when those movies came out. By 1960, shooting in color was very, very common among both pros and amateurs, with Kodak pushing its Kodachrome and Kodacolor films in every camera shop and drugstore.
Nice pics, though.
BlueOnBlue: At least one of those photos, the one with the
Only part of the press release was printed above. I saw this exhibit today, and the pictures ranged from the mid-40s to the mid-2000s. The picture you are referencing was labeled 1964, if I remember correctly.
PCCNYC: Only part of the press release was printed above. I
The city had a certain kind of gritty magic and charm back in the late '40's through early '60's that my parents' generation could enjoy. It just doesn't have that anymore, thanks to the ever-expanding alliance of mega-drugstores, Starbucks, fast-food empires, and the proliferation of glass office towers, ultra-expensive condos and cooperatives, and chi-chi little boutique shops with their own prohibitive prices. Once in a rare while, you'll find a pockets of nostalgia: beautiful little side streets with charming old buildings, an old-fashioned soda fountain, a Mom-and-Pop salumeria, a small pharmacy with all the old acoutrements on display - but they've become few and far between.
ThreeCatNight: The city had a certain kind of gritty magic and
This is an interesting point. Having never seen it before 1991, I was shocked by how little I was impressed when I finally did go. I wondered what all of the fuss was about. I have to be there a couple times a year for work-related things, but it is one of my least favorite cities to visit. Can't compare to London, Paris, or San Fran, IMHO.
leftheaded: This is an interesting point. Having never seen it before
Wow! Lots of movies in the fifties were filmed in Manhattan, including "The Naked City", but the most atmospheric may have been Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (Grace Kelly, Jimmy Stewart), in which an entire studio was converted into a bit of Greenwich Village. I want lunch at Schrafft's!
Totto: Wow! Lots of movies in the fifties were filmed in
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First Posted: 02/21/2012 12:41 pm Updated: 02/21/2012 2:34 pm