Berenice Abbott began working on her series, Changing New York, in 1935 as a way to document gentrification in the city. While the project shows many architectural scenes and urban landscapes, there are also a number of images of storefronts: an easy way to show the way times had changed. In this way, small everyday moments were elevated into important slices of the city's history. A man leaving a barbershop after a haircut became a symbol of a time when those services cost less than fifty cents. It's fascinating to look at these split-seconds of history and realize that together, all of them made up the diverse and rich history of the city we know and love today.
"Blossom Restaurant, The Bowery, from Abbott’s Changing New York series, gives you not only a glimpse into the city long before any of us got here, but a look into how people lived. The handwritten menu on the windows boasts three large pork chops for 30 cents and two eggs with potatoes and coffee for ten. A man stands in the doorway wearing a suit and tie. Behind a column, another man leans on a barricade, his hand on his face, lost in thought. The physical city may no longer be recognizable, but the looks on its inhabitants’ faces remain relatable—an unmistakable part of our present." ... Read more from Laia Garcia on the blog!
+ Limited-edition, exclusive to 20x200
+ Museum quality: archival inks, 100% cotton rag paper unless noted
+ Handcrafted custom-framing is available
Our quoted dimensions are for the size of paper containing the images, not the printed image itself. We do not alter the aspect ratio, nor do we crop or resize the artists’ originals. All of our prints have a minimum border of .5 inches to allow for framing.
Medium:
Innova Fibraprint Warm Cotton Gloss
Edition Structure:
10"x8" | edition of 20
14"x11" | edition of 500
20"x16" | edition of 50
