Berenice Abbott's New York Album, 1929 | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Walker Evans (American, 1903–1975)Berenice Abbott,1929–30Gelatin silverprint, 16.9 x 11.8 cm (6 5/8 x 4 5/8 in.)The Metropolitan Museum of Art,Purchase, TheHorace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyceand Robert Menschel, 1997© Walker Evans Archive, The Metropolitan Museumof Art
Text: Max Wiener
New York, 1929. A time and place known for only the wrong reasons. The stocks would crash, ushering America into the Great Depression, at the time the worst economic crisis in the country’s history. The main narrative of the city during this time is one of doom and gloom. With very little hope shining through the darkness. Images of once prosperous business owners lining up at soup kitchens are imprinted in our minds, and families forced into shacks - “Hoovervilles,” they were known as - on the outskirts of town resonated in our souls. Photographs like Berenice Abbott’s, however, show the city in a different light and remind us of the beauty that is New York City, especially during such a dark period. Her “New York Album, 1929,” saw her ripest artistic dreams shine through in stunning black-and-white images, capturing the gorgeous nooks and crannies of the Big Apple (New York) on the cusp of its architectural explosion. Consisting of 266 small photographs spanned across 32 pages, the series is intimate and grand at the same time; it’s a love letter to the greatest city on Earth. The series is on view until September 4th.
Berenice Abbott (American, 1898–1991)Album Page: City Hall Park and Brooklyn BridgeVicinity, Manhattan, 1929Gelatin silver prints, 10 × 13 in. (25.4 × 33 cm)The Metropolitan Museum of Art,Gift of EmanuelGerard, 1981© Berenice Abbott / Commerce Graphics Ltd. Inc
Upon returning to New York after eight years in Europe, Abbott saw New York as a breeding ground not just for her own artistic mind, but as her muse, and with her honed talent she took her camera to the streets. Through her lens, we see New York as an art deco masterpiece of a city, captured beautifully with the skillful hand of a master. The light shines through the buildings in ways that make it look like heaven; the storefronts are fresh and polished, the shadows are friendly presences. Something about her images are profoundly inviting, almost coaxing you towards them. They have such an indescribable ability to bring you into the world shown, imitating little portals of wonder in black and white. As you walk through the presentation at The Met, you feel as if you’re walking through Midtown on a cool winter day.
Berenice Abbott (American, 1898–1991)West Street, 1936Gelatin silver print, 19.1 x 24 cm (7 1/2 x 9 7/16 in.)The Metropolitan Museum of Art,Gift of Jane andMark Ciabattari, 2000© Berenice Abbott / Commerce Graphics Ltd. Inc.
Berenice Abbott (American, 1898–1991)Eugène Atget, 1927Gelatin silver print, 4 3/8 × 3 5/16 in. (11.1 ×8.4 cm)The Metropolitan Museumof Art,Gift ofMaria Morris Hambourg, in honor of JohnSzarkowski, 2020© Berenice Abbott / Commerce GraphicsLtd. Inc
Abbott’s work effortlessly transports us to days of old and shows us just how much New York has changed, both architecturally and culturally. Her photograph of the 2nd and 3rd Avenue elevated train is a great indicator; said train no longer exists. In these photographs, we stare at them and imagine a world that once was, trying to compare and equate it to what exists today. Those same polished storefronts today would be tucked in between capitalist nightmares, decimating the character of the revolutionary city. Neighborhoods had such distinct oeuvres, ones that showed up even in black and white photography. This is why this is such a vital exhibition for New York. Abbott’s city is that of dreams, that of potential. Let this serve as a reminder for us and help us to appreciate what once was, rather than trying to erase it.
