© Deborah Turbeville Estate
Currently not on view
Asser Levy Bathhouse, New York,
1975
Deborah Turbeville, 1932–2013; born New York, NY; died New York
2017-156
Built between 1904 and 1906, New York City’s Asser Levy Bathhouse had fallen into disrepair by the time Turbeville captured this image for a swimwear feature in Vogue magazine. The building’s dilapidation and the sunlight filtering through its grimy windows provided a provocative backdrop. When the five-photograph feature was published in the magazine’s May 1975 issue, Turbeville was criticized for the suggestive nature of the images. Some critics, for example, felt the run-down location insinuated drug use. Despite their notoriety, the photographs remain her best-known work.
Information
Title
Asser Levy Bathhouse, New York
Dates
1975
Maker
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
18.5 × 48.7 cm (7 5/16 × 19 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Mary Trumbull Adams Art Fund
Object Number
2017-156
Place Depicted
North America, United States, New York, New York
Signatures
signed on verso
Culture
Techniques
Subject
The artist; [Deborah Bell Gallery, New York, NY]; purchased by the Princeton University Art Museum, 2017.
