Lot 116: ANDREAS FEININGER

(American, 1907-1999) NEW YORK signed and dated "A. Feininger / 1941" in black ink on verso stamped "FOTO: ANDREAS FEININGER" on verso "LIFE PICTURE SERVICE" copyright stamp on verso gelatin silver print 191/2 x 153/4 in. (49.5 x 40 cm) 1941 PROVENANCE Private Collection LITERATURE John von Hartz and Andreas Feininger, NEW YORK IN THE FORTIES, New York, Dover Publications Inc., 1978, p. 61 (variant cropping illustrated) It was almost as if New York City posed for Feininger when he took this portrait, one of many he captured during New York's coming of age in the 1940s. By the end of 1941, the year this particular photo was taken, Pearl Harbor had been bombed and World War II was underway. New York at this time was establishing itself as a major port city and an exemplification of the strength the United States was trying to build up in response to turmoil worldwide. In Feininger's photographs of New York during the 1940s, one can feel the energy and unification of people who sought comfort in each other and the city that supported them. This particular image of 42nd Street was taken from Weehawken, New Jersey. Evidence can be seen of the Weehawken ferry, street cars, and buses, all components of the public transportation system which binds New Yorkers together.