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The Mythic City: Photographs of New York by Samuel H. Gottscho
Daring, bold, dramatic, towering, impossibly glamorous: this is how we imagine New York in its golden age, and this is how Samuel H. Gottscho, the preeminent architectural photographer of his generation, captured it. Through his lens, New York of the 1930s became the quintessential modern metropolis, a round-the-clock city in which night was as charismatic as day. Rigorously editing out the Depression-weary city's more seamy aspectsits tenement slums, breadlines, and soup kitchensGottscho presented a dreamlike Gotham of skyscrapers and penthouse luxury that literally and figuratively glowed with glamour's sheen. His gimlet eye focused on the bold interplay of sun and shadow, dramatizing the chiseled forms of Manhattan's signature skyline and bridges. The Empire State and Chrysler buildings, Rockefeller Center, the Plaza, the George Washington BridgeGottscho brought them all to sparkling life. In this beautifully produced, landmark book, historian Donald Albrecht presents 175 of Gottscho's extraordinary images of the city, from the Battery to Harlem. An introductory essay tells the story of this legendary photographer, describing his working methods and philosophy, while placing his work in the broader context of photographic history. The exhibition The Mythic City will open at the Museum of the City of New York in the fall of 2005.
Published in association with the Museum of the City of New York.
Published in association with the Museum of the City of New York.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 7, 2020
This is a catalog of an exhibition of the architectural photographer Gottsho's photographs that was held at the Museum of the City of New York in 2005, which includes an introductory essay by Albrecht followed by Gottscho's photographs. Gottscho started out as an amateur photographer but then decided he could do as well as professional, or trained, photographers, and so was actually self-taught as a photographer. He produced slick photographs of architecture in NY, as well as of interiors, and infrastructure such as bridges - his photographs appeared in numerous magazines in the 1920s and 1930s. He eventually switched to nature photography - such as photographs of wildflowers. His style of photography fell out of favor in the post WWII period, but is still regarded as quite artistic and emblematic of the era of the Depression years - perhaps is key to people's impression of the City as a somehow elegant, magical place. On his photography assignments as an architectural photographer, he still took many photos on his own account and so may be said to have pursued his own career while he was fulfilling commissions.
The photographs are great - evocative of a time when New York, despite the Depression, was bursting with activity and people. Most of the photographs are of elegant buildings, hotels, the 1939 World's Fair idealized pavilions put up by giant corporations such as GM, and interiors of the NY homes of the upper crust such as William Paley. The few photographs of then new housing projects feature carefully posed stationery children, who do not actually appear to be playing. The architectural photographs were intended to make the developments look good, or attractive to potential investors or lessees. The interior photographs sometimes ended up as part of stories published in magazines like "Town and Country." And so the entire collection of photographs reflects a certain slice of life - that of the well-off, the successful, the enterprising. The masses or even the middle class are nowhere to be found.
Still, these are wonderful photographs - wherein you actually get to see places when they were actually built or even under construction, such as Rockefeller Center, including Radio City, the Rainbow Room, and interiors of businesses within Rock Center, such as banks, ocean liner ticket and telegraph offices.
Buildings and bridges that I always thought were always there - were going up in the 1930s, when there were far fewer cars, and the city was newer and perhaps less polluted. As the essay points out, his photographs convey optimism. I would add that it's more like elation - euphoria - at the magical city, where even store fronts (he photographed numerous elegant stores for clients) reflected taste and style. The bulwarks of the stratified society are on display in the elegant restaurants, while the less fortunate and their homes are almost nowhere to be found. A rare photograph showing the hungry poor is one from 1933, a nighttime view of 59th St looking east - showing hungry children gazing at a bakery. A couple of onlookers in suits gaze at the depressing scene.
This is still a satisfying book of photographs - he was a very fine photographer, but the collection shows no consciousness of the entirety of life in NY; rather, it takes a limited, superficial view of architectural and interior design showpieces - most of which are out of reach of the vast majority of people, then and now. So there is no social commentary or viewpoint in his gorgeous photographs. He also photographed many panoramas of the City taken from Brooklyn, or over the East River from the East Side, which are always impressive if nostalgic given the disappearance of much of the East River activity (piers, boats) in the interim since shipping moved from NYC to NJ long ago. In his highly detailed photos though, you can still see the covered pier sheds reaching like fingers into the East River from both sides of the river, with barges pulled up alongside, and all sorts of boats plying the river, as skyscrapers loom over the scene. Other photographs of the River are sensational night photos that he managed to achieve by exposing the photograph initially at twilight so that the sky is glowing grey and then re-exposing the photo at night, to capture the contrast of dark buildings glittering with illuminated windows,and street lamps, reflected in the waters of the river. Some of these photos are quite beautiful - such as ones that are shrouded in greyish glowing mists. Of course these views do not exist in real life as they are taken at the exact same spot - one for the sky portion, and a few hours later, one for the building/bridge portion - with the glowing windows and street lights, once night has fallen. He took numerous night photos of the Times Square area which offer a wealth of detail, such as streetcars, theater marquees, and the ever-increasing advertising. Usually, these photos are taken with rain-slicked streets, to better reflect the brilliance of the lights along the Great White Way.
How things have changed. Where once you might have tried to make an impression, the low-key look is in today. If you can possibly avoid "fashion" you can relax in the ubiquitous jeans, sneakers, T shirts etc. You can no longer judge people by what they are wearing since the non-style look is a uniform that transcends or includes all socio-economic classes. You can not tell people apart by dress since everyone dresses rather similarly these days (except for formal occasions or at certain types of businesses where a more professional look is expected). It's not that people don't care for fashion these days, it's that they don't want to stand out, they don't want to make an impression or attract attention necessarily. Clothing becomes socio-economic camouflage. Perhaps this is one of the biggest legacies of the youth rebellion of the 1960s, wherein youth rejected "uptight" social class-associated styles in favor of more democratic jeans and T-shirts for all.
Labor saving devices and increased communication via telephone and the past 20 or 30 years, via computer, has also fed into the trend, since it's less necessary to actually meet in person, if so much business can be transacted remotely over the phone or via computer. Thus, it hardly matters what you wear since you may not need to meet a client in person (or at least not meet too frequently).
Here are some quotes from the introductory essay:
"His pictures highlighted the world of the wealthy, who had the financial resources to commission architects and hire photographers like Gottscho to document their buildings."
"...photographs had the ability to do more than capture the documentary facts of modern architecture. They could also project the architect's aesthetic intentions."
"...Rockefeller Center [was] ...one of the few major commercial projects to be built in New York during the Depression."
"Glass had undergone remarkable scientific and aesthetic transformations since the mid-nineteenth century."
"...the translucence and transparency of glass buildings came to symbolize a new and liberating society."
"...new road systems such as the West Side Highway...served an increasingly automobile-centered region surrounding the city."
"The George Washington Bridge, which opened in the fall of 1931... ... was praised by modernists for the utilitarian beauty of its naked steel structure, which, ironically, was not a deliberate aesthetic decision but a result of the financially strapped economy of the Depression."
"...the New York World's Fair of 1939-40...represented the hopes and aspirations of Depression-era Americans for a better future."
"Gottscho's shifting of focus away from architectural photography coincided with America's entry into the war in 1941, a time that saw a halt in the construction of buildings in New York City."
And a quote from the captions:
"The World's Fair was built...to celebrate not only the 150th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration in 1789, but also America's industrial leadership in the world."
The photographs are great - evocative of a time when New York, despite the Depression, was bursting with activity and people. Most of the photographs are of elegant buildings, hotels, the 1939 World's Fair idealized pavilions put up by giant corporations such as GM, and interiors of the NY homes of the upper crust such as William Paley. The few photographs of then new housing projects feature carefully posed stationery children, who do not actually appear to be playing. The architectural photographs were intended to make the developments look good, or attractive to potential investors or lessees. The interior photographs sometimes ended up as part of stories published in magazines like "Town and Country." And so the entire collection of photographs reflects a certain slice of life - that of the well-off, the successful, the enterprising. The masses or even the middle class are nowhere to be found.
Still, these are wonderful photographs - wherein you actually get to see places when they were actually built or even under construction, such as Rockefeller Center, including Radio City, the Rainbow Room, and interiors of businesses within Rock Center, such as banks, ocean liner ticket and telegraph offices.
Buildings and bridges that I always thought were always there - were going up in the 1930s, when there were far fewer cars, and the city was newer and perhaps less polluted. As the essay points out, his photographs convey optimism. I would add that it's more like elation - euphoria - at the magical city, where even store fronts (he photographed numerous elegant stores for clients) reflected taste and style. The bulwarks of the stratified society are on display in the elegant restaurants, while the less fortunate and their homes are almost nowhere to be found. A rare photograph showing the hungry poor is one from 1933, a nighttime view of 59th St looking east - showing hungry children gazing at a bakery. A couple of onlookers in suits gaze at the depressing scene.
This is still a satisfying book of photographs - he was a very fine photographer, but the collection shows no consciousness of the entirety of life in NY; rather, it takes a limited, superficial view of architectural and interior design showpieces - most of which are out of reach of the vast majority of people, then and now. So there is no social commentary or viewpoint in his gorgeous photographs. He also photographed many panoramas of the City taken from Brooklyn, or over the East River from the East Side, which are always impressive if nostalgic given the disappearance of much of the East River activity (piers, boats) in the interim since shipping moved from NYC to NJ long ago. In his highly detailed photos though, you can still see the covered pier sheds reaching like fingers into the East River from both sides of the river, with barges pulled up alongside, and all sorts of boats plying the river, as skyscrapers loom over the scene. Other photographs of the River are sensational night photos that he managed to achieve by exposing the photograph initially at twilight so that the sky is glowing grey and then re-exposing the photo at night, to capture the contrast of dark buildings glittering with illuminated windows,and street lamps, reflected in the waters of the river. Some of these photos are quite beautiful - such as ones that are shrouded in greyish glowing mists. Of course these views do not exist in real life as they are taken at the exact same spot - one for the sky portion, and a few hours later, one for the building/bridge portion - with the glowing windows and street lights, once night has fallen. He took numerous night photos of the Times Square area which offer a wealth of detail, such as streetcars, theater marquees, and the ever-increasing advertising. Usually, these photos are taken with rain-slicked streets, to better reflect the brilliance of the lights along the Great White Way.
How things have changed. Where once you might have tried to make an impression, the low-key look is in today. If you can possibly avoid "fashion" you can relax in the ubiquitous jeans, sneakers, T shirts etc. You can no longer judge people by what they are wearing since the non-style look is a uniform that transcends or includes all socio-economic classes. You can not tell people apart by dress since everyone dresses rather similarly these days (except for formal occasions or at certain types of businesses where a more professional look is expected). It's not that people don't care for fashion these days, it's that they don't want to stand out, they don't want to make an impression or attract attention necessarily. Clothing becomes socio-economic camouflage. Perhaps this is one of the biggest legacies of the youth rebellion of the 1960s, wherein youth rejected "uptight" social class-associated styles in favor of more democratic jeans and T-shirts for all.
Labor saving devices and increased communication via telephone and the past 20 or 30 years, via computer, has also fed into the trend, since it's less necessary to actually meet in person, if so much business can be transacted remotely over the phone or via computer. Thus, it hardly matters what you wear since you may not need to meet a client in person (or at least not meet too frequently).
Here are some quotes from the introductory essay:
"His pictures highlighted the world of the wealthy, who had the financial resources to commission architects and hire photographers like Gottscho to document their buildings."
"...photographs had the ability to do more than capture the documentary facts of modern architecture. They could also project the architect's aesthetic intentions."
"...Rockefeller Center [was] ...one of the few major commercial projects to be built in New York during the Depression."
"Glass had undergone remarkable scientific and aesthetic transformations since the mid-nineteenth century."
"...the translucence and transparency of glass buildings came to symbolize a new and liberating society."
"...new road systems such as the West Side Highway...served an increasingly automobile-centered region surrounding the city."
"The George Washington Bridge, which opened in the fall of 1931... ... was praised by modernists for the utilitarian beauty of its naked steel structure, which, ironically, was not a deliberate aesthetic decision but a result of the financially strapped economy of the Depression."
"...the New York World's Fair of 1939-40...represented the hopes and aspirations of Depression-era Americans for a better future."
"Gottscho's shifting of focus away from architectural photography coincided with America's entry into the war in 1941, a time that saw a halt in the construction of buildings in New York City."
And a quote from the captions:
"The World's Fair was built...to celebrate not only the 150th anniversary of George Washington's inauguration in 1789, but also America's industrial leadership in the world."
May 2, 2023
What I really liked about this beautiful coffee table book was that it featured New York City from the time my Dad was born there (1924) and through his high school teen years, to when he joined the Army and came to LSU in Baton Rouge. This was probably the height of beauty in NYC architecture and design, captured by a fantastic photographer, and it had me imagining Dad walking the streets of that period in the greatest city in the world.
November 17, 2011
This book has some of the most wonderful photo's of new york that I've ever seen. The photos make me think of the idea of New York glamour that I think most people have. They are all in black and white, printed on thick generous paper that makes the photos feel somehow more authentic of their era. I just really enjoyed it, I picked this book up at a charity shop for nothing and it's a one of a kind find in that sort of situation being that it was sold in conjunstion to an exibition being held about Samuel H. Gottscho's work. There is an introduction at the start of the book about the Gottscho's life, career and relationship with new york and I found that very interesting. also many (if not all) of the photographs have the year that they were taken in the description, which I found wonderful because of the time period. Being able to place these pictures in history against the backdrop of the Great Depression as well as World War II, well worth a look if you can find it.
May 14, 2009
Gottscho was an excellent and now forgotten photographer who chronicled New York's architecture of the 1930's. His photos paint a pristine and futuristic New York. Looking at these photos is nearly like watching Star Trek - its alien but familiar at the same time and devoid of tenements and the poor. Awe-inspiring photos for a lost era.
December 20, 2007
Stunning collection of New York photos from 1925-1940; and another wonderful exhibition catalog from the Museum of the City of New York. Beautifully designed.
June 1, 2008
interiores y fotografías diurnas y nocturnas de la fabulosa NY de los 30 y 40. Edición y reproducciones impecables.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews