Still Life in 1960s New York

 

In the 1960s and 70s, German-born photographer Evelyn Hofer (January 21, 1922 – November 2, 2009) pointed her lens at New York City’s people and places. The pictures show us the city, and let New Yorkers know how the rest of the world saw them. You can see these and more photographs in Evelyn Hofer: New York.

Arguably the pick is the one above – the boy on the bike in 1960s’ Queens, on what Manhattan’s elite see as the wrong side of the East River. Behind him is the Queensboro Bridge, which connects the neighbourhood of Long Island City, once home to many factories and bakeries, with the swanky Upper East Side. It passes over Roosevelt Island, a narrow barrier seen historically as the ideal location for several hospitals, a prison and the New York City Lunatic Asylum.

Which way will the cyclist move?

Hofner’s talent is to both show us the subject and in the time it takes to click the shutter, her perception of them. Is the boy on the bike attempting to stare her down? What about the hotdog seller in the picture below – is he? The overarching impression is one of stillness – a rare quality to find in the city that never sleeps. But it’s the photographer that seem to have made them stop. And we get to see something essential in the well-timed picture.

 

 

All images copyright Evelyn Hofer. Buy Evelyn Hofner: New York by Steidl.