© The Gordon Parks Foundation
Currently not on view
Street Scene, Harlem, New York,
1952
Gordon Parks, 1912–2006; born Fort Scott, KS; died New York, NY; active New York, NY
2017-183
By 1952, Parks had established himself as a versatile photographer known for his documentary and fashion images, as well as for his photo-essays in Life magazine, where he was the first black staff photographer. This image is part of a collaboration between Parks and the novelist Ralph Ellison, whose recently published novel, Invisible Man, inspired Parks to produce a photo-essay re-creating scenes from the book. Published in the August 25, 1952, issue of Life, the project was not printed as originally conceived, as the magazine’s editors favored surreal images over documentary ones. The three-page, five-photograph feature undermined the evocative representation of the characters and themes of Ellison’s novel as well as Parks’s overall artistic vision for the project.
Information
Title
Street Scene, Harlem, New York
Dates
1952
Maker
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 22.3 × 32.7 cm (8 3/4 × 12 7/8 in.)
sheet: 27.9 × 35.6 cm (11 × 14 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Hugh Leander Adams, Mary Trumbull Adams, and Hugh Trumbull Adams Princeton Art Fund
Object Number
2017-183
Place Made
North America, United States, New York, Manhattan, New York, Harlem
Marks/Labels/Seals
Square stamp on verso: GORDON PARKS / This is a certified Gordon Parks reference print / which was printed during his lifetime and / authorized by the Gordon Parks Foundation. / [Signed] / Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr / Director, Gordon Parks Foundation / © All rights reserved
Culture
Techniques
Subject
The artist; Gordon Parks Foundation, Pleasantville, New York, NY; purchased by the Princeton University Art Museum, 2017.
