After Weegee

The Forward today has a fascinating review of the book After Weegee by Daniel Morris. The author, David Kaufman, also mentions several other recent books on photojournalism. He starts by quoting an observation: "there are two kinds of photographers: 'Jewish and goyish.'" Among the Jews: Weegee, Diane Arbus, Robert Frank; that is "funky photographers." Non-Jews like Weston and Ansel Adams "go out in the woods."

One of the themes of Morris's book is a defense of photojournalism against the criticisms of Susan Sontag. At the core of the matter, according to Kaufman:

"For Morris, every picture tells a story because it is placed in a web of implication. The photojournalists he covers do not let their pictures drift. And because their subjects are social and political, their implications are both political and ethical. Morris sees these photographers’ identification with the urban poor as a secularized but nevertheless Jewish demand for justice. He can do this in part because the specific photographers he writes about do so. Despite what Sontag might claim, these guys do not have an interest in the status quo. They are interested — as secular Jews — in changing it.

"The photographers whom Morris discusses demonstrate their Yiddishkeit in still another way. Morris argues in several places that their documentary impulse follows the biblical injunction to remember. These photographers are witnesses and recorders. In a very real and basic way, their photo essays serve as Yizkor books."

I've heard lectures about Jews in modern photography, but none of the content seemed to make any point about what they might have had in common or whether their Jewish identity was related to their artistic choices. The idea expressed here is that the 20th century Jewish interest in social justice is reflected in these Jewish photographers. Their choices of subject matter made a difference by highlighting social inequality. Kaufman writes of the photographers discussed in the work: "because their subjects are social and political, their implications are both political and ethical. Morris sees these photographers’ identification with the urban poor as a secularized but nevertheless Jewish demand for justice."

Weegee (June 12, 1899)

Weegee, a New York newspaper photographer, was born Usher Fellig in Austrian Gallicia, and immigrated with his family to the Lower East Side of New York as a child. His images were impressive because he often found a different way to illustrate reality, especially dramatic moments such as fires or accidents.

A summary of his accomplishments:

"Weegee’s work tended to champion the underdog, whether within the Jewish community or among the African-Americans in Harlem. 'He shows the common person with a sense of dignity and empathy for humanity. And he treated the criminals in the same non-discriminatory way,' says Howard Greenberg, owner of the prestigious Howard Greenberg Gallery which specialises in street photography.

"The city’s Yiddish theatre scene which was flourishing at the time, also shaped the photographer’s work. ...

"Weegee was attracted to anything bizarre and extreme. “He got the images of weird New York unlike anyone else. With his use of the open flash, he froze moments where the elements of the photograph took on a surrealist look, such as the street scene where a mannequin looks like a dead body,” says Greenberg." -- from Weegee's New Yorkers in The Jewish Chronicle.

During his New York years, Weegee was recognized for the quality and uniqueness of his work; he was featured by the Museum of Modern art and in other exhibits. After World War II Weegee moved to Hollywood and worked in film, for which he's less well known than for his New York photos. He died in 1968.