Peter Yen
Weegee
9/25/08

Earning his nickname “Weegee” for appearing at crime scenes before other photojournalist and sometimes the police. Arthur Fellig had a sixth sense of being at the right place at the right time to take some of the most powerful photographs in American photographic history. From the late 1920’s to the early 1950’s Weegee’s concentration of work was the gritty vice of the New York street scene. While other photographers were shooting skyscrapers, Weegee immersed himself in the life of crime, murder, tenement fires, and boisterous crowds. Yet, no one would have predicted this from the young Austrian immigrant who grew up doing an assortment of odd jobs just to survive.
One gangster’s work Weegee seemed particularly interested in was of Lucky Luciano. Once Weegee became a freelance photographer he frequently recorded the hits done by Luciano and the public’s reactions. This had a profound impact in his book “Naked City” as some of the reactions were some of his most famous photographs. This book according to Anthony Lee “was the most widely known single-volume visual representation of the city,” elevating Weegee from a general freelance photographer into a fine artist.
The outcome of his book led to several exhibitions of his work including two shows at the MOMA. From the 1950’s to the 1960’s he took advantage of his recent fame from “Naked City” to pursue an acting and filmmaking career. Unfortunately, his attempt at stardom failed to blossom and was forced to return to photography. But he never again photographed crime scenes. Weegee died in 1968 leaving behind him over 20,000 photographs that eventually went to the International Center of Photography in midtown New York.
Other than Weegee’s ability to draw out the tones of black and white very well to compliment every image and that the subject material is simple but powerful. What drew me to the images was that feeling of rubbernecking. I know these images are disturbing because they are real people that were murdered and I should look at them, but I couldn’t look away. They are badass.
My question to him would be why was he personally drawn to these scenes of mayhem and melancholy and why did he photograph these bodies at the angels he chose to shoot from?