Capturing the underworld of 1940s New York

Weegee’s adventures — Photographer Weegee would spend his nights roaming the city, documenting its secrets, subcultures and forgotten inhabitants.

In July 1945, Weegee published his magnum opus, Weegee’s Naked City, a collection of photographs taken on the streets of New York, his adopted hometown. Originally released as a luxurious hardcover edition with gravure prints, the book was subsequently kept in print for more than eight decades as a paperback with halftones – an impressive run by any publishing standard. 

But now, the book has been restored to its original glory in a new edition from Damiani/International Center of Photography. The latest edition comes with new texts by New York Magazine City Editor and Weegee biographer Christopher Bonanos, and ICP Weegee specialist Christopher George.

Born Usher Fellig in Ukraine in 1899, Weegee took up photography at the age of 14, just three years after his family emigrated to New York. Self-taught, he opened a photo studio in 1918 and started working as a freelance photojournalist in 1935. Over the next decade, he would amass one of the most compelling collections of city life, capturing the gruesome glamour and ghoulish truths in a series of snapshots taken mostly at night.

Weegee had grown up very poor. He had no financial security. He had no personal support system; he wasn’t married. He shot to eat,” says Bonanos. “The game was to stay afloat. His method was to shoot all night long and he’d make rounds at the paper’s photos desks and he’d peddle whatever he shot.”

“Pie” Wagon. “The girl was arrested for picking up service men, luring them into hallways on the promise of a good time and then robbing them. When the police matron examined her, it was discovered that the lady was a man. Photo shows the prisoner removing the wig at the police station.”

The Opera LIFE, December 6, 1943, 38. The Metropolitan Opens with a Russian Opera. “The Fashionable people were laden with jewels. Most bejewelled were Mrs. George W. Kavanaugh and Lady Decies whose entry was viewed with distaste by the spectator.”

“He would show up at the New York Post first at 6 am because he and the photo editor had a deal that if he showed up there first he could have a key to the darkroom so he could process the last stuff he shot that night. In the early ’40s, there were nine dailies in New York, and then he’d wind up at the wire services. He was shooting two, three, four stories a night, 364 days a year. He worked every day except Yom Kippur.”

Weegee moved seamlessly between worlds, always offering biting social critique or empathetic understanding of his subjects’ lives and ordeals. Whether shooting couples, drunks, socialities, transgender prostitutes under arrest, or murder victims, Weegee’s photographs and written commentary capture the beauty and brutality he witnessed up close every night.

When Weegee is shooting people who are down and out, he is always sympathetic,” says Bonanos. “He’s fairly kind even when people are a mess. When he is shooting the well off, he’s not always as kind. His sympathies always seem to lie with the underdog, and they are pretty egalitarian.”

There was an interest in this book as a kind of big statement from him. A lot of people in the literary and art worlds were interested in things that melded high and low culture. Weegee fulfilled that function as a photographer, explaining the underclass of the city to the overclass. It’s not exactly slumming but it’s a little like that, and you can do that from the distinction of your own home. Things were more stratified then and he was not. Weegee operated in both worlds.”

“Pie” Wagon. “These are men arrested for dressing as girls. The cops, the old meanies, broke up their dance and took them to the Pokey.”

Coney Island PM, July 22, 1940, 16-17. “Yesterday at Coney Island. Temperature 89. They came early, stayed late.”

FIRES. PM, September 19, 1941, 20. “This man is fleeing a fire that roared through the elevator shaft of an eight-storey house on Edgecombe Avenue at 145th Street. An alert policeman smelled smoke and waked tenants. They used fire escapes.”

Harlem. “I spotted this happy man coming out of church, he told me that he was a clothing salesman and that every Easter Sunday he put on his full dress suit.”

Odds and Ends. “A phone booth is a handy place to make a date”

Sunday Morning in Manhattan. New York After Midnight. The Early Hours Bring Their Own Cycle of Events

Odds and Ends. Weegee in his nightly tour of the city gets a tip from a woman news seller, 1941

Harlem. PM, October 18, 1943, 12. “This tragic picture is a symbol of that evil thing, race hatred. Mrs. Bernice Lythcott and her one-year-old son Leonard look out a window through which hoodlums threw stones.”

Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter


You might like

Black and white image of several people in suits, some with long hair and unconventional appearances, alongside a large ship or boat model. Text overlaid: "FREAKS AND FINANCES".
Culture

On Alexander Skarsgård’s trousers, The Rehearsal, and the importance of weirdos

Freaks and Finances — In the May edition of our monthly culture newsletter, columnist Emma Garland reflects on the Swedish actor’s Cannes look, Nathan Fielder’s wild ambition, and Jafaican.

Written by: Emma Garland

Vibrant book covers against bleak, rocky hills and buildings; 'Babylon' and 'Albion' text in bold lettering.
Culture

Dalia Al-Dujaili: “When you’re placeless, nature can fill the void”

Babylon, Albion — As her new book publishes, the British-Iraqi author speaks about connecting with the land as a second-generation migrant, plants as symbols of resistance, and being proud of her parents.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Angela Hui

Crowded pub with people sitting on the floor, some holding drinks. Assorted items on the floor including a sign and a bottle.
Sport

The grit and glory of British toe wrestling

The Obsessives — Born out of a Derbyshire pub in the ’70s, the foot clenching sport has gradually built a cult following in rural England. Ginnia Cheng reported on toe wrestling’s London debut from a south Tottenham pub.

Written by: Ginnia Cheng

Huck 79

We are all Mia Khalifa

How humour, therapy and community help Huck's latest cover star control her narrative.

Written by: Alya Mooro

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.