After learning photography in Paris, Berenice Abbott began documenting New York City in the early 1930s, tracking changes in its boroughs as part of an effort that would become "Changing New York."
Today, she is well known for her imposing architectural photographs of new skyscrapers climbing toward the clouds, as well as sidewalk-level images of people and building façades.
One way she captured the spirit of a neighborhood was by photographing signs for businesses, churches and other organizations. Abbott’s regular focus on signage in the city made her one of the most important photographers of written language in the history of American photography.
Often, in photos like this one of the Blossom Restaurant in Lower Manhattan, Abbott plainly presents a multitude of written words as its own visual feast of shapes and lines. Today, as much as this work constitutes a record of a menu (Meatballs with Beans!) and prices (10 cents!) that seem improbable and quaint, it also stands as a playful exploration of the graphic qualities of written text.
Works like this also encourage us to think about how photography and language both work as systems of communication. For instance, whereas Abbott’s photograph conveys information through a kind of understated matter-of-fact-ness, the Blossom’s hand-printed menu depends on an overwhelming insistence to get the attention of passersby (Coffee, Tea, OR, Buttermilk!).
That tension between modes of representation helps makes this piece by Abbott such a captivating photograph.
This photograph will be on view at the New Orleans Museum of Art, opening Friday, July 12, as part of a new permanent collection exhibition, "Show and Tell: A Brief History of Photography and Text."
Brian Piper is Freeman Family Curator of Photographs, Prints, and Drawings.
