11 minute read
Portraits
Throughout the 1920s there was an active dialogue between the overlapping artistic and literary circles of New York and Paris, with many notable anglophone writers and artists traversing the Atlantic for sojourns or extended stays in one city or the other. Many of the friends and acquaintances Abbott made during her initial stay in Greenwich Village would reappear in her life in Paris (or in subsequent years back in New York) as sitters in her portrait studio. The following group of portraits evince the closely interconnected milieus among which Abbott found herself in both locales.
1 Thelma Wood, Paris, 1925–26 gelatin silver print
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Briefly a companion of Abbott and of the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay [Plate 12], Thelma Wood had a tumultuous decadelong love affair with Djuna Barnes [Plate 2], who wrote her 1936 masterpiece Nightwood following their breakup.
2
Djuna Barnes, Paris, 1926 gelatin silver print mounted on board
Djuna Barnes, modernist writer and friend of Abbott’s since her initial stay in the Village from 19181920, was a resident of Patchin Place [Plate 21] from 1940 until her death in 1982.
3 James Joyce, Paris, 1926 gelatin
Silver Print Mounted On Board
James Joyce, the Irish modernist novelist, poet, and literary critic, was among Abbott’s earliest portrait sitters, and one of the only photographed outside of her studio (this, the earlier of two portraits she would take of him, was taken in his Paris home).
4 Coco Chanel, Paris, 1927
Gelatin Silver Print
This portrait of Coco Chanel likely resulted from Abbott’s brief contract photographing accessories and portraits for Vogue.
5 Eva Le Gallienne, Paris, 1927 gelatin silver print
This portrait of Londonborn actress and director Eva Le Gallienne was taken shortly after her founding the Civic Repertory Theatre on West 14th Street in Manhattan; its façade subsequently photographed by Abbott in July 1936 [Plate 17].
7 Janet Flanner, Paris, 1927 gelatin silver print
Janet Flanner, the Paris correspondent for The New Yorker, had met the writer Solita Solano in Greenwich Village in 1919, the two maintaining a close relationship that would last many years. Solano would also become romantically involved with Margaret Anderson [Plate 8].
8 Margaret Anderson, Paris, 1929 gelatin silver print
Margaret Anderson, the eccentric American editor and publisher, and her partner Jean Heap, ran the avantgarde literary magazine The Little Review from their apartment on West 8th Street, regularly hosting lively gatherings. Upon arrival from Chicago in 1917, their first night in New York City was spent in The Brevoort Hotel [Plate 16].
10 Carl Van Vechten, New York, 1929–30 gelatin silver print
The notorious writer, portrait photographer, and avid chronicler of the Harlem Renaissance Carl Van Vechten also installed himself among the crowd that formed in the Village around Anderson, Heap, and The Little Review.
11
A’Lelia Walker, New York, 1930 gelatin silver print mounted on board
The American businesswoman A’Lelia Walker was heiress to the hair care empire founded by her mother, Madame C. J. Walker, and a fixture in the queer social circles of the Harlem Renaissance.
12 Edna St. Vincent Millay, New York, 1930
Gelatin Silver Print
In the early 1920s, the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay took up residence at 75½ Bedford Street, widely considered the skinniest residential home in New York City, just steps from Abbott’s studio at 50 Commerce Street.
13 Claude McKay, Paris, 1926
Gelatin Silver Print
The JamaicanAmerican writer and poet Claude McKay was part of the social circle that formed around The Little Review and eventually became a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. His first novel, Home to Harlem, was a bestseller and won the Harmon Gold Award for Literature.
Plates – Portraits
1
Thelma Wood, Paris, 1925–26 gelatin silver print; 9 × 63/4 in. / 22.9 × 17.1 cm
2 Djuna Barnes, Paris, 1926 gelatin silver print mounted on board 13 × 10 in. / 33 × 25.4 cm
3 James Joyce, Paris, 1926 gelatin silver print mounted on board 12 × 10½ in. / 30.5 × 26.7 cm
4 Coco Chanel, Paris, 1927 gelatin silver print; 47/8 × 33/4 in. / 12.4 × 9.5 cm
5 Eva Le Gallienne, Paris, 1927 gelatin silver print; 8 × 10 in. / 20.3 × 25.4 cm
6 Solita Solano, Paris, 1926 gelatin silver print; 31/4 × 23/4 in. / 8.3 × 7 cm
7 Janet Flanner, Paris, 1927 gelatin silver print; 5 × 4 in. / 12.7 × 10.2 cm
8 Margaret Anderson, Paris, 1929 gelatin silver print; 4 × 33/8 in. / 10.2 × 8.6 cm
9 Jane Heap, Paris, 1928 gelatin silver print; 4½ × 3½ in. / 11.4 × 8.9 cm
10 Carl Van Vechten, New York, 1929–30 gelatin silver print; 8 × 51/4 in. / 20.3 × 13.3 cm
11
A’Lelia Walker, New York, 1930 gelatin silver print mounted on board 41/4 × 33/4 in. / 10.8 × 9.5 cm
12 Edna St. Vincent Millay, New York, 1930 gelatin silver print; 10 × 8 in. / 25.4 × 20.3 cm
13 Claude McKay, Paris, 1926 gelatin silver print; 2½ × 2 in. / 6.3 × 5.1 cm
14 Oldest Frame House in Manhattan, Weehawken Street, 1935 gelatin silver print
15 47 King Street, 1935 gelatin silver print
16 The Brevoort Hotel, October 24, 1935 gelatin silver print
17 Civic Repertory Theatre, 105 West 14th Street, July 2, 1936 gelatin silver print
18 Fifth Avenue, Nos. 4, 6, 8, March 20, 1936 gelatin silver print mounted on board
19 Milligan Place, 453 Sixth Avenue, Manhattan, March 20, 1936 gelatin silver print
20 Jefferson Market Court and 447- 461 Sixth Avenue, Manhattan, November 10, 1938 gelatin silver print
21 Patchin Place with Jefferson Market Court in Background, November 24, 1937 gelatin silver print
22 76 Bank Street, 1943 gelatin silver print
23 Noguchi’s Garden, 1947 gelatin silver print
26 S. Hacker Book Store, 381 Bleecker Street, New York, 1945 gelatin silver print
27 The Cheese Shop on West 8th Street, 1945 gelatin silver print
28 William Auerbach-Levy at work in his studio, Greenwich Village, 1945 gelatin silver print
30 John Sloan, New York, 1947 gelatin silver print mounted on card
31 Napolitana Kitchen, West 4th Street, 1947 gelatin silver print
32 Robert Hendrickson, guns and arms at 22 Christopher Street, 1947 gelatin silver print
33 The Studios on West 10th Street, 1948 gelatin silver print
35 Repair Shop, 19 Christopher Street, 1947 48 gelatin silver print mounted on board
36 Repair Shop, 19 Christopher Street, n. d. gelatin silver print
37 Romany Marie Goes to Market, 1948 gelatin silver print
38 An Industrial Designer’s Window, Bleecker Street, 1947 gelatin silver print mounted on board
39 Bookshop on Seventh Avenue South, 1948 gelatin silver print
40 Mary Muller’s Antique Shop, Greenwich Avenue and West 10th Street, 1948 gelatin silver print
41 Doorways, King Street, Nos. 23-25, 1948 gelatin silver print
42 Gay Street from the corner of Christopher Street, 1948 gelatin silver print
43 Townhouse with Studios, 1948 gelatin silver print
44 Japanese Lapidary, 619 Hudson Street, Manhattan, 1948 gelatin silver print
45 Little Frame House on Bedford Street, 1948 gelatin silver print
46 MacDougal Alley, No. 8, 1948 gelatin silver print
47 Old Dwellings and Shops on Christopher Street, 1948 gelatin silver print
50 Rain (View from Commerce Street Studio), 1950 gelatin silver print mounted on board
Plates – Greenwich Village
14 Oldest Frame House in Manhattan, Weehawken Street, 1935 gelatin silver print; 8 × 10 in. / 20.3 × 25.4 cm
15 47 King Street, 1935 gelatin silver print; 9 × 7 in. / 22.9 × 17.8 cm
16 The Brevoort Hotel, October 24, 1935 gelatin silver print; 10 × 8 in. / 25.4 × 20.3 cm
17 Civic Repertory Theatre, 105 West 14th Street, July 2, 1936 gelatin silver print; 91/2 × 71/2 in. / 24.1 × 19.1 cm
18 Fifth Avenue, Nos. 4, 6, 8, March 20, 1936 gelatin silver print mounted on board 15 × 19 in. / 38.1 × 48.3 cm
19 Milligan Place, 453 Sixth Avenue, Manhattan, March 20, 1936 gelatin silver print; 10 × 8 in. / 25.4 × 20.3 cm
20 Jefferson Market Court and 447- 461 Sixth Avenue, Manhattan, November 10, 1938 gelatin silver print; 93/8 × 7 in. / 24.1 × 17.8 cm
21 Patchin Place with Jefferson Market Court in Background, November 24, 1937 gelatin silver print; 93/8 × 71/2 in. / 24.1 × 19.1 cm
22 76 Bank Street, 1943 gelatin silver print; 10 × 8 in. / 25.4 × 20.3 cm
23 Noguchi’s Garden, 1947 gelatin silver print; 10 × 8 in. / 25.4 × 20.3 cm
24 Isamu Noguchi at Work, 1947 gelatin silver print; 85/8 × 71/2 in. / 22.2 × 19.1 cm
25 Isamu Noguchi’s Worktable, 1947 gelatin silver print; 10 × 8 in. / 25.4 × 20.3 cm
26
S. Hacker Book Store, 381 Bleecker Street, New York, 1945 gelatin silver print; 73/4 × 91/8 in. / 19.7 × 23.2 cm
27 The Cheese Shop on West 8th Street, 1945 gelatin silver print; 93/8 × 7 in. / 24.1 × 17.8 cm
28
William Auerbach-Levy at work in his studio, Greenwich Village, 1945 gelatin silver print; 9 × 71/4 in. / 22.9 × 18.4 cm
29 Connie Williams and dancer at The Calypso, MacDougal Street, 1947 gelatin silver print; 101/2 × 131/2 in. / 26.7 × 34.3 cm
30 John Sloan, New York, 1947 gelatin silver print mounted on card 91/4 × 73/8 in. / 23.5 × 18.7 cm
31
Napolitana Kitchen, West 4th Street, 1947 gelatin silver print; 10 × 8 in. / 25.4 × 20.3 cm
41 Doorways, King Street, Nos. 23-25, 1948 gelatin silver print; 93/8 × 63/4 in. / 24.1 × 17.2 cm
42 Gay Street from the corner of Christopher Street, 1948 gelatin silver print; 7 × 5 in. / 17.8 × 12.7 cm
43 Townhouse with Studios, 1948 gelatin silver print; 93/8 × 71/2 in. / 24.1 × 19.1 cm
44 Japanese Lapidary, 619 Hudson Street, Manhattan, 1948 gelatin silver print; 9 × 7 in. / 22.9 × 17.8 cm
32
Robert Hendrickson, guns and arms at 22 Christopher Street, 1947 gelatin silver print; 91/4 × 71/2 in. / 23.5 × 19.1 cm
45 Little Frame House on Bedford Street, 1948 gelatin silver print; 8 × 10 in. / 20.3 × 25.4 cm
46 MacDougal Alley, No. 8, 1948 gelatin silver print; 81/4 × 53/4 in. / 21 × 14.9 cm
33
The Studios on West 10th Street, 1948 gelatin silver print; 10 × 8 in. / 25.4 × 20.3 cm
34 Young Painter in her Greenwich Village studio, 1947 gelatin silver print; 8 × 10 in. / 20.3 × 25.4 cm
35
Repair Shop, 19 Christopher Street, 1947 48 gelatin silver print mounted on board 91/4 × 71/2 in. / 23.5 × 19.1 cm
36 Repair Shop, 19 Christopher Street, n. d. gelatin silver print; 10 × 8 in. / 25.4 × 20.3 cm
37
Romany Marie Goes to Market, 1948 gelatin silver print; 91/4 × 71/2 in. / 23.5 × 19.1 cm
38 An Industrial Designer’s Window, Bleecker Street, 1948 gelatin silver print mounted on board 9 ½ × 7 ½ in. / 24.1 × 19.1 cm
39 Bookshop on Seventh Avenue South, 1948 gelatin silver print; 91/2 × 63/4 in. / 24.1 × 17.1 cm
40 Mary Muller’s Antique Shop, Greenwich Avenue and West 10th Street, 1948 gelatin silver print; 9½ × 7½ in. / 24.1 × 19.1 cm
47 Old Dwellings and Shops on Christopher Street, 1948 gelatin silver print; 7 × 41/4 in. / 17.8 × 11.1 cm
48 Washington Square North, n. d. gelatin silver print; 10 × 8 in. / 25.4 × 20.3 cm
49 Two actors, Washington Square South, 1948 gelatin silver print; 91/2 × 71/8 in. / 24.1 × 18.1 cm
50 Rain (View from Commerce Street Studio), 1950 gelatin silver print mounted on board 131/4 × 10 in. / 33.7 × 25.4 cm
Public Collections
Amon Carter Museum of American Art Forth Worth, Texas
Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, Illinois
Brooklyn Museum Brooklyn, New York
Centre Georges Pompidou Paris, France
Dallas Museum of Art Dallas, Texas
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco San Francisco, California
George Eastman Museum Rochester, New York
Harvard Art Museums Cambridge, Massachusetts
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Smithsonian Institution Washington, District of Columbia
The Image Centre Toronto, Ontario International Center for Photography New York, New York
J. Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles County Museum of Art Los Angeles, California
The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, New York
MIT Museum Cambridge, Massachusetts
Musée d’Orsay Paris, France
Museum of the City of New York New York, New York Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago, Illinois
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Texas
The Museum of Modern Art New York, New York
National Gallery of Art Washington, District of Columbia
National Portrait Gallery London, England
New York Public Library New York, New York
Peggy Guggenheim Collection Venice, Italy
Philadelphia Museum of Art Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Phillips Collection Washington, District of Columbia
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art San Francisco, California
Syracuse University Art Museum Syracuse, New York
Tokyo Photographic Art Museum Tokyo, Japan
Victoria & Albert Museum London, England
Walker Art Center Minneapolis, Minnesota
Weisman Art Museum Minneapolis, Minnesota
Marlborough New York
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Mariah Tarvainen Graphic Designer tarvainen@marlboroughgallery.com
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Rita Peters Gallery Assistant peters@marlboroughgallery.com
John Willis Warehouse Manager willis@marlboroughgallery.com
Anthony Nici Master Crater nici@marlboroughgallery.com
Peter Park Exhibition Coordinator park@marlboroughgallery.com
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Robert Slifkin is a Professor of Fine Arts at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University where he teaches classes on modern and contemporary art and photography. He is the author of Quitting Your Day Job: Chauncey Hare’s Photographic Work (MACK, 2022) which received the Historical Book Award, Les Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles, France; The New Monuments and the End of Man: U.S. Sculpture Between War and Peace, 1945-1975 (Princeton University Press, 2019); and Out of Time: Philip Guston and the Refiguration of Postwar American Art (University of California Press, 2013) which was awarded the Philips Book Prize. His essays and reviews have appeared in such journals as American Art, Artforum, Art Bulletin, Art Journal, Burlington Magazine, October, Oxford Art Journal, and Racquet.
Todd Watts is an artist and photographer. Born in New York in 1949, he received a scholarship to study at Pratt Institute in 1961. He then attended the High School of Music & Art in New York, and graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1971. He became an adjunct professor of photography at The School of Visual Arts and at Hunter College, lecturing at New York University, and the New School for Social Research. He is the founder of RadioRain publishing, producing and printing fine artworks in photography. He is also the director of the Abbott Watts Photography Residency in Monson, Maine. His artwork has been exhibited and collected internationally.
Published on the occasion of the exhibition Berenice Abbott's Greenwich Village
On view January 24 – March 11, 2023 Marlborough New York
© 2023 Robert Slifkin; Changing (with all kinds of delays). All rights reserved. Used with permission.
© 2023 Lukas Hall and Todd Watts; Outtakes: An Interview with Todd Watts. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
All photographs © Berenice Abbott / Commerce Graphics, exceptions listed below.
Photography credits: Page 6: © Man Ray Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY; pp. 10, 11, 31, 37, 41, 43, 46, 47, 49, 53, 55, 67, 7071, 73, 81, 83, 85, 87, 89, 9091, 93, 95, 97, 99, 100101, 102, 105, 107, 109, 115, 117, 123, 125, 127: Getty Images © Berenice Abbott / Commerce Graphics; pp. 14, 20, 26: Private collection.
Editor: Lukas Hall Design and Layout: Mariah Tarvainen
Printing and Binding: Permanent Press
© 2023 Marlborough Gallery, New York
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including information storage and retrieval systems—except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper—without permission in writing from the publisher.
First Edition
ISBN: 9780897973816
