Getty Museum

New York

Date

1916

Medium

Platinum or platinum and palladium print

Culture

American

Department

Photographs

Institution

Getty Museum

Paul Strand's approach to photography was already changing by 1915. Choosing a more straightforward style—one that relied less on a soft-focus lens—he was interested in portraying realistic scenes of New York that expressed the pulse and dynamism of the modern city. Beginning in the late 1800s, Manhattan began expanding upward with skyscrapers. When the Woolworth Building opened in 1913, it was the tallest in the world. Standing at 792 feet, it was a commanding presence overlooking City Hall Park. These new structures afforded views of the city from above—a reality that was in itself modern and dynamic. Like any resident of Manhattan at this time, Strand was aware of the impact of these buildings. Indeed, many of his photographs from this period are taken from an elevated position, no doubt in response to this new way of experiencing the city. With his camera poised above the location, he captured a scene of silhouetted figures going about their daily lives while also conveying the breadth of the seemingly unending boulevard. Adapted from _Paul Strand_, In Focus: Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum by Anne M. Lyden (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2005), 14. ©2005, J. Paul Getty Trust.

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