Creator: Weegee, North American; American, Born: Poland, Zloczew, 1899, Died: US, NY, New York, 1968
Title: Tenement Penthouse
Date: ca. 1940
Material: gelatin silver print
Source: George Eastman House. Rochester, New York.
I chose this photograph because I really like the composition; how it looks staged even though it is a candid shot. I was exploring some work of Weegee's because I was interested in the pictures he would take on the NYC subway by hiding his camera in his jacket. A bit about the background... these children are sleeping on a fire escape outside a tenement building because of the intense heat of summertime in the city.
I think the irony in the title is worth commenting on as well - the fire escape as penthouse? And don't they look hot all crowded together and the kitten too! How can you be sure they didn't know he was about to take their picture?
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