Naked City - Softcover

Weegee

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0306812045 ISBN 13: 9780306812040

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2002

Synopsis

For Naked City, his first collection, Weegee cruised the teeming streets of 1940s New York in the wee hours in search of the sensational. His photographs were lewd, louche, and licentious but always brimming with life (except when they were brimming with death).
Weegee's profound influence on other photographers over the last half-century derives not only from his sensational subject matter and his use of the blinding, close-up flash, but also from his eagerness to photograph the city at all hours, at all levels. Snapping lovers on the beach at 3:00 in the morning, transgender prostitutes in police buggies, bejeweled society ladies at balls, the desperately poor--no one knew New York like Weegee did. Naked City showcases his talent, his love of the city, and his taste for the absurd and the unbelievable, in a book that will always stand as a classic introduction to the secret life of New York.

About this title

Review:

"If it bleeds, it leads" -- the cynical battle cry of today's tabloids -- might easily have been the motto of Arthur Fellig, the freelance photojournalist better known as Weegee, who cruised the streets of 1940s New York in the wee hours of the morning in search of the sensational. His pictures of children sleeping on fire escapes, blood-splattered corpses on sidewalks and amorous couples on the beach -- as seen in this reprint of his first book -- reveal that Weegee, unlike his latter day counterparts, had heart and soul. He also had a cockeyed sense of humor, as evidenced by his captions and camera tips.

From the Back Cover:

Weegee's First book, 'Naked City' (1953), was a runaway success and made him a celebrity who suddenly had assignments from Life and Vogue. He was among the first to fully realize the camera's unique power to capture split-second drama and exaggerated emotion. Regarded as some of the most powerful images of the 20th-century photography, Weegee's work now resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0306812045
• ISBN 13: 9780306812040
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 244