Jefferson Market

Greenwich Village has many landmarks of music history. The jazz clubs in the area saw the likes of Miles Davis and John Coltrane. The bars and clubs that line Bleecker Street and the surrounding area helped popularize folk music in the 1960s. And of course there is that famous little recording studio just south of Jefferson Market on Eighth Street where some of the most important music of the past forty years was recorded. Out of all the Village music landmarks though there is one that absolutely dwarfs them all. In 1941 guitar manufacturer Epiphone was located at 144 West 14th Street and it was there that one Lester William Polsfuss assembled the first solid body electric guitar. Polsfuss was his birth name. His stage name was Les Paul. He went on to pioneer many technologies that influenced the recording industry but it was the solid body electric guitar that really changed the sound of music forever.

Les Paul died today at the age of 94. He certainly saw a lot of changes in his lifetime, especially over the past decade, as sequences of 0’s and 1’s have forever altered the music industry. Yet despite this move from analog to digital the innovations of Les Paul can still be heard and historic places can still be visited right here in Greenwich Village.

View Literary Pride March in a larger map
It's no wonder that the riot that started the worldwide gay revolution started in Hudson Park's neighborhood.

By 1969, the Village had long been a mecca for artist types -- writers, painters, actors and performers -- and for gays and lesbians. These were people who's worth was defined by their talent and creativity, not by who they found sexual attractive. They had pride, and pride is the key.

Pride is what calls people to demand dignity. Pride demands respect. Pride has led directly to the marriage equity fights of today. And pride said no to police harrassment 40 years ago.

And, really, who can live without pride? To do so is to have a miserable existence.

So a Literary Pride March is in order -- around the Village visiting the sites of the homes of gay and lesbian writers. This March includes a great beginning and ending (Jefferson Market and Hudson Park), a stroll through Washington Square, a swing by the location of the Stonewall Inn, and some of the prettiest streets in the Village (West Fourth, Bleecker, Grove, Bedford, and, of course, St. Luke's Place).

It includes some heartbreak too. Check the map for that.

And be sure to check out a book by your favorite LGBT writer at either end of your journey!

“This man is Harry Thaw, charged with murder,” said Capt. Hodgins, in a voice which rang through the courtroom. It was June 1906 in the Jefferson Market Court House and these words heralded the start of the trial for the murder that was proclaimed the Crime of the Century! (It was 90 years before O.J. Simpson took that title away).

The Jefferson Market Court House is now the Jefferson Market branch library and we are proud to present an author reading and discussion of the new book, American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White. the Birth of the "It" Girl, and the Crime of the Century by Paula Uruburu. The event takes place Wednesday June 10 at 6:30pm at - where else? - the Jefferson Market branch library!

“To doubt everything, or, to believe everything, are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection.”
-Henri Poincare, Science and Hypothesis (1901)

We are now at that time of the year when so many students are getting ready to take that next giant step into the “real world”. I’d like to think that most are prepared to meet the challenges. High schools and universities have long used the commencement speech as a way of conveying final tidbits of wisdom before students are thrown into the pool of life and told “SWIM!”

Years ago I was in an English class. We’ll say it was taught by a Professor K. Though it was an English class most of the discussions were on anything but, with topics ranging from quantum physics to the myths and mysteries of religion.

It was by far one of the better educational experiences I have ever had.

Much was said in that class about the classes students were forced to take to meet graduation requirements versus the classes students should be required to take to lead a more meaningful existence. If Professor K had his way, when students walked up to the stage to accept their diploma, at the last moment the document would be withheld, at which point the student would be asked a single question: What is the Allegory of the Cave? If answered sufficiently, the student would receive their diploma. The general consensus was that too many students do not do enough real thinking. Zygotes, quadratic equations, and igneous rocks are all and good but in regards to post-academic life and the shaping of core belief systems the average student might do well with a little enlightenment via Plato’s Republic.

I don’t remember if there was a commencement speech at my high school or undergraduate graduation. Vito Acconci gave one of my post-graduate addresses. I appreciate his work but don’t remember what he had to say.

If I had my way I would arrange for a reading at every single graduation ceremony nationwide of This is Water, the 2005 Kenyon College address by David Foster Wallace. This wouldn’t quite have the audacity of one last and final question a la Professor K but the basic ideas put forth by Wallace and Professor K. were the same: the importance of thought in leading a compassionate life.

This is Water is moving and intimate. Like most of Wallace’s work it strikes a perfect balance between matter-of-fact precociousness and thoughtful insight. In hindsight it is also profoundly poignant. It will enlighten you the way an excellent teacher does. Thank you Professor K. It will inspire you the way good art can. And this is good. It is art. Though it was only just released in book form the address had been floating around on the Internet for the past few years and it also appeared in the 2006 edition of The Best American Nonrequired Reading. The title of that collection aside, This is Water should be required reading for all.

Welcome to 24 Frames per Second, a New York Public Library blog tagline devoted to film. By following the 24fps@NYPL tag you’ll easily be able to read films reviews and suggestions from Library staff system wide which will hopefully lead to many lively and insightful comments and discussions. You will also be able to find information here about film screenings at local branches. Hopefully the posts here will expose you to some films you may not have seen or encourage you to possibly revisit or reconsider some of those films you haven’t seen in a long time. And of course, all the films discussed here are available in the branches of The New York Public Library.

So, let us get things under way….  read more »

Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the premiere of the first work from one of the most notorious men in the history of Hollywood. He is prolific, having had a hand in the making of over one hundred film and television projects. That hand though has been the heavy hand of disassociation through loss of creative control. This man’s name is now synonymous with bad films and bad decisions. His name is Alan Smithee.

Death of a Gunfighter was released on April 25, 1969 in West Germany. The United States premiere was a few weeks later on May 9th. The New York Times gave a positive review for film, stating it was "sharply directed by Allen Smithee who has an adroit facility for scanning faces and extracting sharp background detail". Variety said “Smithee's direction keeps the action taut and he draws convincing portrayals from the supporting cast". Even Roger Ebert, though not familiar with the name, commented possitively on Smithee’s direction.

The absurdity of all this was that Allen Smithee did not exist.

Robert Totten was the original director of Death of a Gunfighter. He left well into production due to disagreements with the lead actor, Richard Widmark. Totten was replaced with Don Siegel but when the film was finished neither wanted to take credit because the final product did not represent either director’s creative vision. The Director’s Guild of America decided to use a pseudonym. Al Smith was the first choice but it was too common and there were already individuals in the film industry with that name. Allen Smithee was chosen because it was uncommon enough but not too strange to stand out. Though his name was later retroactively applied to some earlier works, Death of a Gunfighter was the first film attributed to Smithee.
The standard spelling later became Alan Smithee.

A perfect example of Smithee’s work is the extended televised version of Dune. The original feature film was directed by David Lynch. It was later edited with additional footage without Lynch’s involvement. Lynch had his name removed from this version and also replaced his screenwriting credits with the name Judas Booth, an inside joke and his way of saying the studio betrayed him and killed his film.

In the publishing world these name games are more common and done for entirely different reasons. A press release in the mid 1980’s informed the world of the death Richard Bachman from cancer of the pseudonym. Before I Wake, by Eric Bowman was really written by Mark Frost. And of course there is Lemony Snicket. Usually these pseudonymous writers have fans in the know waiting for more material, but no one is waiting for Alan Smithee films. His few fans are more of the cult classic variety, his films reserved for bad movie nights, his career a trivial footnote in Hollywood history.

82 years ago today on April 19, 1927 Mae West was convicted at The Jefferson Market Courthouse on obscenity charges for her play Sex. The play, which she also wrote, produced, and directed, was her first starring role on Broadway. The production had been open for close to a year and playing to full houses before it was raided by the police. West received a $500 fine and was sentenced to ten days in jail. She spent one night in the Woman’s House of Detention before moving to Welfare Island (now known as Roosevelt Island). She was released after eight days for good behavior and the resulting publicity only increased her fame.

The Woman’s House of Detention was demolished in 1973 and replaced with the community garden that is now on the south side of Jefferson Market. For more information on this notorious jail take a look Hellhole: The Shocking Story of the Inmates and Life in the New York City House of Detention for Women by Sara Harris, located in our reference collection and for your viewing pleasure there is the feature film House of D starring David Duchovny and Robin Williams.  read more »

On Saturday April 25th at 2PM The Jefferson Market Branch will be one of the stops for The Black Maria Film and Video Festival. Yes, I know I know, the weather is finally nice, Spring is finally here, but we've got an incredible line up this year so you really must try and stop by.

"Since 1981, the annual Black Maria Film and Video Festival, an international juried competition and award tour, has been fulfilling its mission to advocate, exhibit and reward cutting edge works from independent film and videomakers. The festival is known for its national public exhibition program, which features a variety of bold contemporary works drawn from the annual collection of 50 award winning films and videos."

Please click through to see the selection of films we are screening...  read more »

In celebration of National Poetry Month the Jefferson Market Library will be hosting the 17th Annual Poets House Showcase Saturday April 4 through Saturday April 11, 2009.

The only event of its kind, the annual Poets House Showcase is a free exhibit featuring all of the new poetry books and poetry-related texts published in the United States in a single year—with more than 2,000 titles on view (including volumes by individual authors, anthologies, biographies, critical studies, CDs and DVDs) from over 500 commercial, university and independent presses. The Showcase provides writers, readers and publishers with a fascinating vantage point from which to assess publishing and design trends and linguistic, aesthetic and philosophical shifts.

The opening reception is Saturday April 4, from 1-4pm. The exhibit will be located in our first floor auditorium and is open during regular library hours. Please try and stop by and contact us if you would like more information.

Today marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of Anatol Josepho (March 31, 1894 - December 1980), Siberian immigrant and inventor of the photobooth. His patent for an automatic coin operated photographic apparatus was filed on March 27, 1925 and though similar devices existed at or around the same time it was Joespho who brought the photobooth to the masses via Times Square in New York City where people lined up for blocks to have their pictures taken.

Josepho’s is the classic immigration success story: he moved to The United States, struggled, found financial backing, sold the rights to his invention in 1927 for one million dollars (the equivalent of over $12.5 million today) and donated half the money to charity.

Over 80 years later photobooths still hold a special place in America’s culture. There is something about the intimacy and immediacy of the process, where individuals can be themselves and create an honest and telling self portrait, or where people can playfully act out and document their dreams and desires.

Photobooths today rely on digital processes rather than chemical ones but the basic idea behind the device and its enduring intrigue has remained relatively unchanged for all of these years making it a true cultural icon.

Most everyone has a photobooth story to tell. And all those untold number of photobooth photographs speak volumes. Lower Manhatten between the Jefferson Market Library and the lower east side probably has the highest concentration on photobooths in the city. Drop me a line to find out the closest one in your area.

For more information on photobooths check the Catalog. There are also some classic photobooth scenes in movies such as Amelie, Buffalo 66, and Superman III.

The photograph above is not Anatol Josepho. It is just one of the countless anonymous Photomatic photobooth photographs out there.

The Jefferson Market Branch of The New York Public Library has been meeting the informational needs of the people of Greenwich Village for over forty years. But one hundred years before the library, people in the neighborhood got their information from the Old Grapevine Tavern.

The three story clapboard roadhouse was built in the 18th century and was located on the southeast corner of 11th Street and 6th Avenue. Originally a private home, it eventually became a saloon know as The Hawthorne. The 11th Street side of the building was covered in a gnarled old grapevine and by the early 1800s the establishment was simply known as the Old Grapevine. It quickly became a favorite destination for those wanting to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city (lower Manhattan) and head north towards into the open country (11th Street).  read more »

Today marks the 86th anniversary of the birth of photographer Diane Arbus.

Diane Nemerov was born in New York City on March 14, 1923. In 1941, at the age of 18 she married Allan Arbus who worked in the advertising department of her family’s store. She received a Graflex 6x9 camera the same year. They started working in fashion, with Allan at the camera and Diane as stylist and art director.

She began to work independently in 1957 and after separating from her husband in 1959 (he later went on to become an actor) she moved to a rear carriage house at 131 1/2 Charles Street where she lived for nine years. During those productive years she received two Guggenheim Fellowships (in 1963 and 1966) and had her first exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (1964). In 1968 she moved from Greenwich Village to East Village’s historic Renwick Triangle at 120 East 10th Street. In 1970 Diane Arbus moved to the Westbeth Artists Housing in the West Village where she lived until July 26, 1971.

Check the Leo Catalog for more information on Diane Arbus. I recommend the book Untitled, the biography by Patricia Bosworth, and the highly fictionalized feature film Fur.

The Bosworth biography lists Arbus’s Greenwich Village address as 121 1/2 Charles Street, which interestingly enough is just about the location of another village landmark, Margaret Wise Brown’s relocated house. Other sources including the May 2, 2006 Greenwich Village Historical District Extension Designation Report and the address book notes associated with the discovery of her Hubert’s Museum photographs list her address as 131 1/2 Charles Street.

On a side note: architect Stanford White grew up in 118 East 10th Street, also part of the Renwick Triangle. White was murdered by Harry Thaw in 1906 and the murder trial was held at the Jefferson Market Courthouse.

Film noir is the theme for Jefferson Market’s Monday night films this month. We’ll start the series with Fritz Lang’s Hangmen Also Die. Please take a look at The New York Public Library’s online calendar for our other upcoming films.

We’ll also have a special non-noir Saturday film screening of Blithe Spirit on March 21, 2009 at 2pm. Based on the play by Noel Coward, Blithe Spirit is getting a revival on Broadway this month. The 1945 movie poster described the film as “super-naturally spicy screen entertainment” in “blushing Technicolor. Can you resist? I think not!

Our February films came to an end with a screening of a film about Harold Arlen, the composer of such standards as It’s Only a Paper Moon and Stormy Weather and the music to The Wizard of Oz. The film had some wonderful performances by Rufus Wainwright, Debbie Harry, and Jimmy Scott, whose appearance was a highlight for me.

When I first moved to New York City I made a short list of jazz performers I wanted to see. The list wasn’t short for long, as a handful of names were added each time I’d scratch one off. Most of the individuals on this list were musicians who were around in the 1950s and were amazingly still around and performing. Jimmy Scott was on that list and the first show I saw upon moving to NYC. You might remember Scott from his haunting performance in the last episode of Twin Peaks.

A few of the other names on that short list that were quickly marked off include:  read more »

I just finished Malcolm Gladwell’s new book Outliers. I also recently booked (through the summer) films for Jefferson Market’s Monday night film screenings, including some great music documentaries in February. I’ve been thinking about both Outliers and music a lot recently.

On Monday February 2nd at 6PM we are showing Let’s Get Lost, Bruce Weber’s 1988 documentary about Chet Baker. This is an amazing film that has yet to be released on DVD in the United States. The reason? Unknown! If you haven’t seen Let’s Get Lost this would be the perfect opportunity to do so. Watch for appearances by a young Chris Isaak and Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Also of note are interviews with Baker’s childhood friend Jack Sheldon who later voiced such School House Rock classics as Conjunction Junction and I’m Just a Bill.

On Monday February 9th at 6pm we are showing Is It Really So Strange? This documentary takes a look at an unlikely Morrissey fan base: Latino youths in East Los Angeles. The Smiths broke up in 1987 but Morrissey’s cult of adoring, devoted, and obsessed fans has never been more adoring, devoted, or obsessed. Johnny Marr has also remained busy with many side projects including stints with The Talking Heads, REM, and Modest Mouse. Much news was made about the reunion tours of famously disbanded acts such as The Pixies and Van Halen. Now if the songwriting team of Morrissey and Marr ever got back together, that would be cause for celebration. I know, I know, but never say never.

Lastly, on Monday February 23rd at 6pm we are showing Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen. My earliest recollection of the Arlen song Stormy Weather is from the May 8, 1987 episode of Miami Vice entitled Heroes of the Revolution. It wasn’t like I was even a fan of Miami Vice, but OK, I did watch a few episodes! I don’t know what it was about that song or why I remember the first time hearing it. To this day I can still picture Detective Gina Navarro Calabrese singing in a club with Crockett and Tubbs watching. Actually I don’t even remember if Crockett and Tubbs were in the audience. But they’re in the memory. As far as what I hear in my head when I picture this season three scene from Miami Vice it is now always Ella Fitzgerald’s version. For me, Ella’s is the definitive version of the song. Gina, Crockett, Tubbs, and Ella.

Which brings me to Outliers. The ideas in this book I found most interesting dealt with opportunities. Think about Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, or The Smiths. Each was at the right place and right time for what they were doing. Jazz vocals? You’d be hard pressed to find a better time and place than 1930’s Harlem. Jazz musician? Sure there was an East Coast/West Coast thing going on, but being a jazz musician on either coast in 1951? You can’t beat that time or place! How about a post punk British pop rock band headed by an incredibly talented guitarist and a lyricist well-versed in literature and poetry with a unique vocal delivery? The time and place would ideally be one where you could catch the ear of British DJ John Peel. Peel is singled-handedly credited with launching the careers of countless bands and musicians. If he liked your music then he played your music and you sold many records and became famous. Sure talent comes into play (see Gladwell’s discussions on the 10,000 hour rule) but you can’t ignore the idea of being at the right place at the right time and taking advantage of the opportunities available. Gladwell takes a unique look at computer programmers (Bill Gates, Bill Joy), Jewish lawyers, The Beatles, and hockey players and shows that opportunity (which involves the 10,000 hour rule and being at the right place at the right time) is the key to success. After reading Outliers, I’m convinced.

That got me to thinking. What about librarianship? Being a librarian circa 1880 with Melvil Dewey would have been quite an opportunity and being around for the computer revolutions circa 1980 and 1995 would have been equally as interesting. But in regards to technology, access to information and resources, and the quickly changing virtual landscape (aren’t these all opportunities?) when would be the perfect time to be a librarian?

How Soon is Now?

Librarians of the world, unite and take over.

This time next year, on October 16, 2009, the Spike Jonze film adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is scheduled to open. The film, shot with real actors and a combination of live-action puppetry and CGI, was originally scheduled to be in theaters now. I’ve read that Warner Brothers apparently was not happy with the finished product and test screening audiences felt it was too scary for children. I’m not sure Jonze necessarily set out to make a children’s film.

My first thought when I heard that someone was attempting a live-action CGI puppet film adaptation of the children’s classic was “good luck”. I then made a quick mental list of directors who could possibly pull it off. Michel Gondry was on the short list, as was Spike Jonze. It is interesting that both of these directors got their start in music, directing some of the most memorable music videos ever made. Their feature films haven’t been too bad either. With the artistic vision of Spike Jonze and the help of the capable Dave Eggers on the screenplay, Where the Wild Things Are promises to be one of the most original offerings of 2009.

Maurice Sendak created Where the Wild Things Are when he was living just east of Jefferson Market Library in a basement apartment at 29 West 9th Street, adding another literary landmark for you to check out next time you are in the neighborhood.

4 patchin place, a few steps from the jefferson market library just off 10th street, is the former residence of poet e.e. cummings (october 14, 1894 – september 3, 1962), who played a role in saving the jefferson market courthouse building.

the jefferson market courthouse closed in 1945 and after remaining vacant for many years was slated for demolition. In the late 1950s historic preservationist margot gayle enlisted the help of jefferson market neighbors including longtime village reseident e.e cummings to rally behind the idea of saving the former courthouse building. the jefferson market branch library opened to the public on november 27, 1967 and was declared a national historic landmark in 1977.

margot gayle died on september 28, 2008. last year the jefferson market library celebrated its 40th anniversary with a party attended by gayle who, at 100 years of age, was the guest of honor.

today is the 114th anniversary of the birth of e.e. cummings.

According to Stokes Iconography of Manhattan Island, on October 8, 1908 a city ordinance was passed changing the name of Blackwell’s Island Bridge to Queensboro Bridge.

Further research into Stokes Iconography provides more history about the Queensboro Bridge.

The city began proceedings to acquire the land on April 25, 1900. On November 15 the common council passed “an ordinance to provide for the construction of a new bridge over the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Queens.” On February 23, 1901 the plan for the construction was approved. “The bridge is to be constructed on the cantilever principle, is to be 150 feet wide and 2,710 feet long, and is to cost $5,740,000.” Construction began in July. On March 18, 1902, the Board of Alderman passed “an ordinance naming the bridges across the East River. This provides that: 1, the New York and Brooklyn Bridge shall be designated the Brooklyn Bridge. 2, the new East River Bridge shall be designated as the Williamsburg Bridge. 3, Bridge No.3, crossing the East River, shall be designated as the Manhattan Bridge. And 4, Bridge No.4 crossing the East River shall be designated as the Blackwell’s Island Bridge.”

(FYI: the entry following the March 18, 1902 entry in Stokes has nothing to do with the bridges but it is the kind of interesting and quirky information that this reference source is full of: “April 1902 – About this time ping-pong had the vogue that Mah Jong came to have in 1920 and the cross-word puzzle in 1924. – Sullivan, Our Times (1926).”)

In January 1907 the proper approaches were planned, with the commission recommending a “diagonal approach to Blackwell’s Island Bridge from Second Avenue to 57th Street; that the street car tracks on 59th Street be depressed under Fifth Avenue, and that 60th Street be widened by 100 feet.” On October 8, 1908, as mentioned above, the name of the bridge was changed to Queensboro Bridge, which officially opened on March 30, 1909.

Coincidentally, 58 years after the name change, almost to the day, on October 10, 1966, this album was released with a catchy song that used the colloquial numerical name of the bridge in the title.

I am by no means an expert when it comes to children’s literature. I save that for the wonderful children’s librarians of The New York Public Library. In a readers advisory bind I can recommend some of the current series that the kids are reading and those classic children’s books that I’m particularly fond of now: Where the Wild Things Are, the Mo Willems Pigeon books, anything by David Wiesner, and Goodnight Moon.

Published in 1947, Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon has certainly had a lasting appeal. Maybe it’s in the simple poetry of the book. Maybe it’s in the story itself: the prolonging of the act of saying goodnight, something that everyone can relate to. Maybe it’s because the story is easily adaptable into a ritual that parent and child can continue after reading the book. Maybe it is because the main character is a rabbit.

I don’t have any real recollections of ever reading Goodnight Moon as a child. When I think of that children’s classic the first thing that comes to mind is the episode of The Simpsons where Christopher Walken reads the book to a group of terrified children at a book fair. “Please, children, scootch closer. Don't make me tell you again about the scootching.”

Another thing that comes to mind is the interesting history behind a charming little house near the Jefferson Market Library. This 18th century farmhouse was the residence and writing studio of Margaret Wise Brown in the 1940s. At the time the house was located at 71st Street and York Avenue. It was there that Brown wrote many of her classics, including Goodnight Moon. Illustrator Garth Williams even depicted the house in Brown’s Little Golden Book, Mister Dog. The house later faced demolition and on March 5, 1967 it was moved from the Upper East Side to its present location at 121 Charles Street. Complete with a beautiful yard and a cobblestone driveway, it is a truly magical and unique literary landmark unlike any other residence in New York City. Take a look next time you’re in the area, then stop by Jefferson Market and read Goodnight Moon. Personally, I can never read that story again without hearing Christopher Walken’s voice in my head: “Goodnight room. Goodnight Moon. Goodnight cow jumping over the moon."

I recently received an interesting telephone reference question. A gentleman was calling from a historical society in upstate New York. He was doing research on the bells cast by the Meneely Bell Foundry in the early to mid 19th century. Meneely had cast tens of thousands of bells and he wanted to know if the bell in Jefferson Market Library’s clock tower was one of them. A quick search online found many different versions of the clock tower’s history. Some sources claim that the bell currently in the tower was the one from the original previous structure, a fire watch tower. Further investigation found this not to be the case, as the bell currently hanging in the tower is the third one at the Jefferson Market location. Of course, the best way to confirm the bell’s maker is to get a first hand look, so I made the claustrophobic climb to the top of the tower, timing my journey so as not to be next to the bell when it struck on the hour. Stamped on the 12,000 pound bell was the name I was looking for: Jones & Company, Troy, NY 1863.

So our bell was not from Meneely, but what about the previous bells? Click through to read on...  read more »

I went to The Museum of Modern Art recently to check out some of the new photography exhibitions. In addition to the stark repetition the Bechers’ work and some of my favorites from Diane Arbus there was a wonderful exhibition of vernacular photography. The snapshots by anonymous photographers all depict the shadow of the photographer. The photos are hung salon style with a variety of different frames, bringing to mind a Victorian parlor or a page taken from a vintage photo album. Seeing all these photographs together also made me think of one of the downsides of the advent of digital photography: mistakes like these are now easily and instantly deleted.

Keep your back to the sun. This is one of the basic rules of photography for obvious reasons. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your view of these things) this often led to the photographer inadvertently placing himself, or to be more specific, his shadow, into the picture. Sometimes it is apparent that this was intentional, with the photographer having a little creative fun by finding a way of inserting himself into the photograph while remaining behind the camera. The majority of the time though the shadow is unintentional, with the photographer concentrating on the subject in the view finder and not noticing the dark shape until after the prints were made. It’s kind of ironic, focusing on the subject and getting results that make the intended subject secondary. The shadow becomes the center of attention. The shadow becomes what the photograph is about. We no longer have a photograph of Sally playing in her own yard. We have a photograph of Sally being approached by a stranger in her own yard. The shadow of the photographer changes what is happening in the photograph. The results can be playful and lighthearted or an ominous and disconcerting dialogue between the subject and the unknown.

100 Shadows, an exhibition of anonymous photographs all depicting the shadow of the photographer, will be on display in the lobby of Jefferson Market through October.

Click through here for books on vernacular photography.  read more »