54th and Berks Street, Philadelphia
54th and Berks Street, Philadelphia

Currently not on view

54th and Berks Street, Philadelphia,

ca. 1920

Unknown American photographer
2003-49

This photograph exemplifies the manual work behind the retouching and manipulation of images in the early twentieth century. Inscribed with the name of the Philadelphia real estate magnate Albert Greenfield, the image was likely used as an advertisement for the sale or rent of the building shown. In addition to cleaning the sidewalks and streets of the slush visible in the foreground, the retoucher effaced the utility pole at the corner and added figures milling about the property. These interventions concealed signs of the actual inhabitants of the neighborhood to produce an imagined vision of a pristine and bustling commercial space.

Information

Title
54th and Berks Street, Philadelphia
Dates

ca. 1920

Maker
Unknown American photographer
Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

19 x 24.2 cm. (7 1/2 x 9 1/2 in.)
mount: 21.8 x 24.2 cm (8 9/16 x 9 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Donald Lokuta

Object Number
2003-49
Inscription

Inscribed in pencil on cardboard attached to the print, recto upper right corner: Albert Greenfield
Inscribed in crayon, verso upper left corner: F-91
Inscribed in ink, verso top center: 54th + Berks St.

Culture
American
Type
black-and-white photographs, photographs

IIIF manifest

The International Image Interoperability Framework, or IIIF, is an open standard for delivering high-quality, attributed digital objects online at scale. Visit iiif.io to learn more.

Open API URL

Our API is generally designed to provide programmatic access to the Museum's collections data for applications that require regular updates and/or the ability to dynamically query and filter the data via the endpoints provided.

Share your feedback with us

The Museum regularly researches its objects and their collecting histories, updating its records to reflect new information. We also strive to catalogue works of art using language that is consistent with how people, subjects, artists, and cultures describe themselves. As this effort is ongoing, the Museum’s records may be incomplete or contain terms that are no longer acceptable. We welcome your feedback, questions, and additional information that you feel may be useful to us. Email us at collectionsinfo@princeton.edu.

Explore More

Holidays at the Museum

Princeton Collects

Mosaic Restaurant