New York Rises: Photographs by Eugene de Salignac [Hardcover]

Michael Lorenzini (Author), Kevin Moore (Author), Eugene De Salignac (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007

From 1906 to 1934, Eugene de Salignac shot over 20,000 stunning 8x10-inch glass-plate negatives of New York City. As sole photographer at the Department of Bridges/Plant and Structures during that period of dizzying growth, he documented the creation of the city's modern infrastructure--including bridges, major municipal buildings, roads and subways. For years, de Salignac's remarkably lyrical photographs have been featured in books and films, but never credited to their author. New York Rises, which will accompany a traveling exhibition, is the first monograph to present this unprecedented work as an aesthetically coherent oeuvre by a photographer with a unique vision. As meticulous in his record keeping as he was creative in his photography, de Salignac left five handwritten logs that identify each negative by place and exact date. This information is complemented throughout the book by narrative captions expanding on themes such as accidents, bridges, workers and the Depression. Essayist Michael Lorenzini unearths primary sources to reconstruct de Salignac's biography and Kevin Moore explores the photographer's work in the context of other masters of the period, including Eugene Atget and Berenice Abbott. Copublished with the New York City Department of Records/Municipal Archives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The sparkling turn-of-the-century pictures of bridge-and-tunnel-loving photographer Eugene de Salignac appear in New York Rises." -- Elissa Schappell --Vanity Fair

"A truly fascinating account of the exuberant growth that led to New York's reputation as a metropolitan capital." -- Tracy Hallett --B&W Magazine

"In the end, Salignac's city is quiet and serene, the clangor seemingly banished for the moment--a dream that only photography may conjure." -- Francis Morrone --The Wall Street Journal

"Some of the images may be familiar, but thanks to this collection New Yorkers can finally appreciate the photographer's extraordinary body of work and his unique vision of the city." --The New York Times

"His images have an odd beauty and, at times, a subversive wit." -- Michelle Preston --The New Yorker

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Aperture; 1St Edition edition (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597110132
• ISBN-13: 978-1597110136
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #971,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Pictures of Old New York, April 7, 2007

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New York Rises: Photographs by Eugene de Salignac (Hardcover)

This book is a beautiful set of photographs of New York during the early eays of the twentieth century. The photographs are dated from about 1908 to 1933. They show (mostly) a working environment. Here are people building bridges, paving streets. Because he worked for the department of bridges, it also seems like he was charged with recording accidents with pictures, possibly for legal reasons.

Along with the pictures are essays written by Michael Lorenzini, who is now a senior photographer at the NYC Department of Records/Municipal Archives, and by Kevin Moore, an accomplished writer in the history of photography.

I have seen some of these photographs before in various publications but never realized that these were only the tip of the iceberg, and that all of these pictures had been taken by the same individual.

Quite a number of the pictures show things that would be surprising to today's viewer. The Williamsburg Bridge for instance was equipped (in 1910) with a pair of electrically operated gates that worked to stop runaway horses on the bridge. Previously, the book says, there were an average of three runaways a month, usually fatal to the horses.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Notes of a Jazz Riff Playing Above the Skyline, March 11, 2008

By 

Bart King (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New York Rises: Photographs by Eugene de Salignac (Hardcover)

If I endorse this book as a monograph showcasing the photos of a man who worked for New York's Department of Bridges/Plant and Structures for 28 years, I'll be lucky to get a polite, uninterested smile.

But if I could share one of photographer Eugene de Salignac's extraordinary shots with you, you'd be hooked. Just look at the book's cover, showcasing painters nonchalantly draped on the rigging of the Brooklyn Bridge. (They are described in THE NEW YORKER as looking like "the notes of a jazz riff playing above the skyline.")

Thanks and kudos to Michael Lorenzini, who scoured New York's Municipal Archives and looked over about twenty thousand glass negatives to compile this retrospective of de Salignac's work. The photographer had the opportunity to record the astounding construction in New York that took place in the first third of the 20th century. That means much of this material has to do with transportation, and so we are treated to vintage shot after shot of subway tunnels, ferries, bridges, and trolley lines, as well as landmarks like the Municipal Building.

An extraordinary career is retrieved from anonymity here, and Kevin Moore's notes do a good job of putting the images into context. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good, not great, August 25, 2007

By 

PhotoMusicFan "Larry" (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: New York Rises: Photographs by Eugene de Salignac (Hardcover)

I agree that this book is relatively workmanlike and not in the same league as the really great books of photography. The photos are usually more intriguing than gripping in showing how buildings and bridges were actually built in those days. Prospective purchasers should leaf through it before buying, if possible.