Art & culture
How did Berenice Abbott document a changing New York?
Her Changing New York project paired carefully located photographs with publication and urban history.
Berenice Abbott’s Changing New York project documented a city undergoing architectural and social change in the 1930s. Abbott photographed streets, buildings and people while carefully noting where pictures were made. The project treated the city as a subject whose landmarks and ordinary details could disappear or be transformed.
A project supported by public arts funding
The New York Public Library records Abbott’s Federal Art Project support from 1935 to 1939. During that period she produced photographs of New York and assembled a body of work that later became a 1939 book. Many buildings she photographed in 1935 had disappeared by the time her images were exhibited.
Evidence: Library or organization history
Images tied to place and text
The photographs were accompanied by writing from art critic Elizabeth McCausland. Precise locations help viewers compare the photographed city with later versions of the same streets. This makes the project useful for urban history as well as photographic study: images serve as both compositions and evidence of a changing built environment.
Evidence: Library or organization history
A different kind of portrait setting
Abbott’s street views include people but do not center the isolated likeness in the way a booth does. The comparison helps distinguish portrait history from broader documentary photography. A city photograph may preserve a person in a particular moment while also recording architecture, commerce and public space.
Evidence: Library or organization history
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- Berenice Abbott’s Changing New York project — New York Public LibraryLibrary or organization history