Chinese poster with man, Village, New York
Photograph
1936 (photographed), 1936-1939 (printed)
1936 (photographed), 1936-1939 (printed)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Ilse Bing (1899-1998) was one of several leading women photographers in the inter-war period. Born into a Jewish family in Frankfurt, she initially pursued an academic career before moving to Paris in 1930 to concentrate on photography. This photograph was taken during a trip to New York organised by the author Hendrik Willem Van Loon, who supported Bing.
Bing had photographed run down streets, street posters and the ongoing degradation of the city for a commission for the photographer and critic Emmanuel Sougez (1889-1972) in Paris in 1934 for the magazine L’Art vivante. Sougez admired her style and treatment of ‘the sad faces of our old streets’, naming her the ‘sensitive and artistic Ilse Bing’. Bing used her Leica camera to take photojournalistic images of everyday scenes, seizing a moment and immortalising it. This composition of New York looks at once posed and spontaneous, characteristic of modern photoreportage. The timeless quality of the image contradicts the urgent and poignant implications of hard times and inequalities in the city.
Bing had photographed run down streets, street posters and the ongoing degradation of the city for a commission for the photographer and critic Emmanuel Sougez (1889-1972) in Paris in 1934 for the magazine L’Art vivante. Sougez admired her style and treatment of ‘the sad faces of our old streets’, naming her the ‘sensitive and artistic Ilse Bing’. Bing used her Leica camera to take photojournalistic images of everyday scenes, seizing a moment and immortalising it. This composition of New York looks at once posed and spontaneous, characteristic of modern photoreportage. The timeless quality of the image contradicts the urgent and poignant implications of hard times and inequalities in the city.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Chinese poster with man, Village, New York (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Gelatin-silver print |
Brief description | 'Chinese poster with man, Village, New York' photographed in 1936 by Ilse Bing (1899-1998) |
Physical description | A black and white photograph showing a man of Chinese origin on the left next to some flowers he is selling. To his right are piles of broken crates and rubbish, and behind him are Chinese posters peeling off the wall. |
Dimensions |
|
Style | |
Marks and inscriptions |
|
Credit line | Bequeathed by Ilse Bing Wolff |
Subject depicted | |
Place depicted | |
Summary | Ilse Bing (1899-1998) was one of several leading women photographers in the inter-war period. Born into a Jewish family in Frankfurt, she initially pursued an academic career before moving to Paris in 1930 to concentrate on photography. This photograph was taken during a trip to New York organised by the author Hendrik Willem Van Loon, who supported Bing. Bing had photographed run down streets, street posters and the ongoing degradation of the city for a commission for the photographer and critic Emmanuel Sougez (1889-1972) in Paris in 1934 for the magazine L’Art vivante. Sougez admired her style and treatment of ‘the sad faces of our old streets’, naming her the ‘sensitive and artistic Ilse Bing’. Bing used her Leica camera to take photojournalistic images of everyday scenes, seizing a moment and immortalising it. This composition of New York looks at once posed and spontaneous, characteristic of modern photoreportage. The timeless quality of the image contradicts the urgent and poignant implications of hard times and inequalities in the city. |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.3055-2004 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | October 13, 2005 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSON