item details
NameGirls watching movie, Palace theatre
ProductionArthur Weegee; photographer; circa 1943; New York
Classificationblack-and-white prints, gelatin silver prints, black-and-white photographs, works of art
Materialssilver, photographic paper, photographic gelatin
Materials Summaryblack and white photograph, gelatin silver print
Techniquesblack-and-white photography
DimensionsImage: 263mm (height), 341mm (length)
Registration NumberO.003318
Credit linePurchased 1984 with New Zealand Lottery Board funds
Overview
Weegee (Arthur Fellig) probably couldn’t see exactly what he was photographing in a darkened New York cinema, and the children in the photograph wouldn’t have been aware of him either. To light a scene like this, he used an invisible infrared flash. He also often disguised himself as an ice-cream seller.
By using such furtive techniques, Weegee captured a whole range of behaviour in the seclusion of darkness: movie audiences transfixed by the screen, couples kissing, patrons sleeping, and children playing.