Man Near Manhole, Times Square, New York City

Louis Stettner

1954, printed ca. 1977 · Gelatin silver print · Photographs

In 1952 Stettner began photographing Times Square at night. He lived not far from the area and was fascinated by the way it came alive after dark with crowds of thrill-seekers and glittering lights, but also by a sense of mystery and unreality not present during the day. Using a small hand-held camera Stettner was able to record scenes in a split-second, such as this one in which a dark headless figure seems to materialize out of the steam before striding off into the darkness. While defying the rules of conventional photography, the photograph is a perfect distillation of the thrilling sense of dynamism and contingency that made Stettner's nocturnal subject so compelling.

Artist

Louis Stettner

Date

1954, printed ca. 1977

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Stewart S. MacDermott Fund, 1986