Penn Station, Interior, Manhattan
Berenice Abbott
Description
For many photographers working in New York, Pennsylvania Station was an important landmark and a symbol of New York’s importance in the national rail system. Designed by the firm of McKim, Meade and White, the station, with its soaring spaces and glazed vaulting, was based on an earlier symbol of imperial might and wealth—the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. In addition to the marble and masonry of its ancient prototype, the station also incorporates modern materials—steel and glass. Abbott’s view of the concourse and platforms shows the architects’ use of new building materials to bring natural light into the station while still impressing the visitor with the immense scale of the building.
Carole McNamara, Assistant Director for Collections & Exhibitions
on the occasion of the exhibition New York Observed: The Mythology of the City
(July 13 – September 22, 2003)
"I had to obtain all sorts of permission to make these photographs [of Pennsylvania Station], but I knew I had to capture this magnificent building. Even with the big skylights the interior was dark, and there was movement. My film was slow and often I was forced to shoot at 1/10 or 1/25 of a second. It was absolutely wicked to tear the building down; it was cheating America, denying Americans their cultural heritage." quoted from Hank O'Neal, "Berenice Abbott, American photographer," New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982, p. 102.
Subject Matter:
In this photograph of New York City's famed Pennsylvania Station, Berenice Abbott traces the arc of the steel vaulting that extends from the center of the space up and towards the upper left corner of the image. Aligning the ceiling of the the building with the upper margin of the photograph, Abbott emphasizes the formal geometric structure of the vaulting's semi-circles encapsulated in a grid of rectangles. The travelers and workers dotted throughout the space provide a sense of scale, but Abbott seems interested in communicating the soaring interior space of the building itself. Photographed as part of Abbott's series entitled "Changing New York," which was published in 1939, the inclusion of Penn Station now seems prescient since the building would be demolished in 1963.
Physical Description:
Interior view of Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan.
Usage Rights:
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