Coney Island
Photograph
Coney Island
1941
Gelatin silver print
Image: 13 5/8 × 16 11/16 in. (34.6 × 42.4 cm)
Paper: 13 15/16 × 17 in. (35.4 × 43.2 cm)
Matted: 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
Purchase
1980.0470.0002
Inscriptions Inscribed in blue ink on verso, RC: Lisette Model: New York - Coney Island
TextLisette Model brought her style of documentary photography to the United States when she and her husband immigrated in 1937. Noted for images that unapologetically emphasize peoples’ idiosyncrasies in everyday situations, Model often took her handheld 35mm camera to busy places such as Coney Island. Here, she tightly frames the main figure, focusing on the subject’s face, body, and clothing while removing most of the surrounding context. Later in life, Model became a teacher and lecturer, inspiring a generation of postwar photographers, such as Diane Arbus.
