Iconic images
I’m working my way through a book I picked up during a visit to the local public library branch while waiting for a slow bus, and I have to recommend it to anyone who a passing interest in American history from the last century. In particular, this book, Empire Rising by Thomas Kelly, is set in New York City in 1931, when the Empire State Building was under construction. The tallest building in the city went from a hole in the ground to a great observation point in just over 400 days. Take that, the people who never seem to finish megaprojects.
Anyhow, the story is liberally salted with references to real people, and I picked up the name of a photograper, Lewis Wickes Hine (1874-1940. A quick tour over to Wikipedia brought back some interesting side details about his career. First of all, let’s bring up one of his better known images:
He had a deeper interest, however. The whole area of child labour was important to him as a photographer, and he spent years documenting individuals and their environment. Following additional links brought me to a site that I recommend highly:
Shorpy: The Hundred-Year-Old Photo Blog is a work of art. The premise is simple; show us the world as it was a century ago. Now, one century ago is an anchor point, because the collected images cover several decades. And the collection is growing, therefore there are still some thin areas. Still worth the visit. People don’t change. Surprisingly, neither does the environment, once certain cosmetic details are ignored. Think of the site as a low cost time machine, without the dizziness and upset stomach.
So, from a simple book review to images in the depths of a coal mine. How quickly time passes when you’re having fun.
