Hester Street

Berenice Abbott, 1898–1991

“Hester Street, Between Allen and Orchard Streets”

New York, 1938

Berenice Abbott was an American photographer who, among her other important artistic contributions, dedicated herself to documenting the historical tableaux of the ever-evolving New York City. Abbot was born in Springfield, Ohio, and first moved to New York in 1918 to pursue painting. She spent most of the following decade (1921–29) in Paris, mastering photography while working as an assistant to the American photographer Man Ray. In the 1930s, upon her return from France and during the era of Great Depression, she turned her attention to photographing the streets of New York, meticulously noting the exact locations of her shots. From 1935 to 1939, she received support from the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project for her  “Changing New York” project.

The photograph on display was taken on Hester Street, between Allen and Orchard Streets in 1938, according to Abbott’s notes. Although her primary task was to shoot the buildings from the best possible perspective—in this case from above—Abbott succeeded in documenting precious moments of busy routine, with people going about their daily lives on these densely populated streets, thus capturing the spirit of the neighborhood. 

Close examination of the photograph reveals a multitude of second-hand goods offered for sale at the long pushcart stationed on the left side of the pavement: utensils, plates, vases, candlestick, a rolling pin, an iron, scissors, lamps, small stoves, a mirror, a teapot, and even a gramophone. The cart seems to attract many curious customers who inspect its content with much interest. To the right, another cart is covered with cloth, and a man (who was likely supposed to be watching it) sits on a folding chair with his back to it, engrossed in reading the newspaper.

Both carts are positioned in front of the two shops occupying first floors of the adjacent buildings on Hester Street. The first shop, S. Markowitz General Merchandise, offers “imperial” silk and woolen carpets, plus cosmetics and perfumes, while the other shop, Barney Kaminsky’s, specializes in children’s and infants’ wear, with merchandise displayed in the windows of the floors. Two women chat on the steps of the tenement’s building, while a woman pushes a stroller with a baby and holds the hand of a little girl as they try to make their way through the bustling street.