Berenice Abbott had a unique style of photography that transcended subject matter. Her pictures ranged in content from capturing New York City to demonstrating the principles of physics. I thought her motivation to return to New York and begin a long term photograph project to capture the “Old New York” before it was quickly replaced by the innovation and technology of the 1930s was very interesting. I was surprised that she was able to capture the urbanization in images the way that she did in photographs such as Pennsylvania Station (1936). I also really appreciated the scientific works because it makes abstract scientific ideas easier to visualize and understand.
When I read your piece one thought that kept nagging me was what would Bernice Abbott think of today? What would she think of the transformation of today’s New York? Would she too take out her camera and record this New York and preserve it before it’s all torn down?
I think she would. Just like how she saw the changes in the city during the early 1900’s, the change int eh city now is startling. One of the many ways the city is changing is through rapid gentrification. neighborhoods and buildings that have been there for centuries are begin uprooted, along the people with them, in favor of these new high rises. I think if we had a Bernice Abbott today, she would be running around crazy in the city trying to photograph this fleeting part of modern New York.
Another reason why New York is changing is because of Climate Change. So much of the city is literally being swept up back into the rivers. Entire coast communities are threatened by rising tides and flooding. In some projections New York City even fifty years from now is radically different.
We sometimes think our time isn’t important or worth a picture or two and we often think that people in other times, like those who lived through the Depression or WWII, lived in historic times but I think Mrs. Abbott would strongly disagree. We are living is photo-worthy times and it’s our duty to document this past for future generations.
I loved learning about Bernice Abbott and I think Kash did a very nice job. Her painting of Pennsylvania Station surprised me the most because I walk in that station every day when commuting to Baruch. I think the image also surprised me because although New York City was changing rapidly then, it is still changing today. Everywhere I go there is construction happening at some point. The idea of the city changing also has to do with the diversity and amount of population. I think Abbott’s work did a great job of capturing the city before it became as grandeur as the skyscrapers we are now used to. I wonder how Abbott felt when she came back from Paris to see all the urbanization during the Great Depression.
Berenice Abbott had a unique style of photography that transcended subject matter. Her pictures ranged in content from capturing New York City to demonstrating the principles of physics. I thought her motivation to return to New York and begin a long term photograph project to capture the “Old New York” before it was quickly replaced by the innovation and technology of the 1930s was very interesting. I was surprised that she was able to capture the urbanization in images the way that she did in photographs such as Pennsylvania Station (1936). I also really appreciated the scientific works because it makes abstract scientific ideas easier to visualize and understand.
When I read your piece one thought that kept nagging me was what would Bernice Abbott think of today? What would she think of the transformation of today’s New York? Would she too take out her camera and record this New York and preserve it before it’s all torn down?
I think she would. Just like how she saw the changes in the city during the early 1900’s, the change int eh city now is startling. One of the many ways the city is changing is through rapid gentrification. neighborhoods and buildings that have been there for centuries are begin uprooted, along the people with them, in favor of these new high rises. I think if we had a Bernice Abbott today, she would be running around crazy in the city trying to photograph this fleeting part of modern New York.
Another reason why New York is changing is because of Climate Change. So much of the city is literally being swept up back into the rivers. Entire coast communities are threatened by rising tides and flooding. In some projections New York City even fifty years from now is radically different.
We sometimes think our time isn’t important or worth a picture or two and we often think that people in other times, like those who lived through the Depression or WWII, lived in historic times but I think Mrs. Abbott would strongly disagree. We are living is photo-worthy times and it’s our duty to document this past for future generations.
I loved learning about Bernice Abbott and I think Kash did a very nice job. Her painting of Pennsylvania Station surprised me the most because I walk in that station every day when commuting to Baruch. I think the image also surprised me because although New York City was changing rapidly then, it is still changing today. Everywhere I go there is construction happening at some point. The idea of the city changing also has to do with the diversity and amount of population. I think Abbott’s work did a great job of capturing the city before it became as grandeur as the skyscrapers we are now used to. I wonder how Abbott felt when she came back from Paris to see all the urbanization during the Great Depression.