Getty Museum

Chick's Candy Store, Pitt Street, New York

Date

1938

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Culture

American

Department

Photographs

Institution

Getty Museum

A group of men and boys, gathered at the entrance of Chick's Candy Store, pass the time in conversation in this photograph taken on a chilly New York day. All eyes are on one man in particular, who confidently leans against the shop window, one hand in his pocket, the other gesturing animatedly. This photograph was made in a working-class neighborhood in the Lower East Side in 1938, during the worst year of the Depression. The subjects' well-dressed appearance suggests that they are probably employed. The woman seated in the doorway beside the candy store, entertained by activity along the street, conveys the sense of dejection that many felt during this time. For generations, local shops in New York City have continued to serve as gathering places for neighborhood residents. Walter Rosenblum made this photograph in the neighborhood where he grew up. The image is part of a larger photographic essay on Pitt Street that was made over a six-month period. In 1950, Rosenblum returned to Pitt Street, making a second series of photographs documenting the vulnerability and hopefulness evident in the neighborhood.

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