Where else but New York? Where would you still find a 97-year-old scrap-metal collector, a pillow maker, a mannequin maker, or someone who still digs graves with a shovel? But not for long. Harvey Wang’s beautiful and often poignant portraits show us men and women in vanishing jobs and professions. As machines and electronics take over, as gentrification or changes in customs occur, a way of life disappears. But Harvey Wang was able to document these lives before it was too late. The photographs and descriptions entertain and inform us all.
Harvey Wang’s New York opens in the Yiddish Book Center’s Brechner Gallery on Sunday, June 16 at 10:00 a.m. At 2:00 p.m., there will be a talkback with Wang, presented live at the Yiddish Book Center and streamed via Zoom. Space for the in-person event is limited and will be first-come, first-served; register below for the Zoom livestream.
Harvey Wang. Chock & Company, Orchard St. 1993.
Harvey Wang. Zypora Spaisman, Yiddish Actor.
Harvey Wang. Itkowitz Feather Pillow Maker, Ludlow St.
Harvey Wang. Typesetter, The Forward. 1982.
Harvey Wang. Hot Metal, Forward Composing Room. 1982.
Harvey Wang. Louis Nathin, Bayard St, NYC. 1987.
Harvey Wang. H. Eckstein & Sons, Orchard St, NYC. 1993.
Harvey Wang. Jack Betteil, TV Repairman, Queens, NY.
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Harvey Wang studied visual arts and anthropology at Purchase College, State University of New York. He has published six books of photography, including Harvey Wang’s New York (1990) and, with co-author David Isay, Flophouse: Life on the Bowery (2000) and Holding On: Dreamers, Visionaries, Eccentrics and Other American Heroes (1995). His most recent book is From Darkroom to Daylight (2015). Wang has exhibited widely at museums, including the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the New-York Historical Society, and the Museum of the City of New York. His films have screened at festivals all over the world. His short film about the photographer Milton Rogovin won the prize for Best Documentary Short at the Tribeca Film Festival. He lives and works in New York City.
The Yiddish Book Center’s museum is open Sunday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Plan your visit to the Center here.
Made possible with support from the Brechner Family.
Yiddish: A Global Culture
Plan your visit to the Yiddish Book Center and experience our groundbreaking permanent exhibition, Yiddish: A Global Culture. Global in scope yet deeply personal, Yiddish: A Global Culture tells the extraordinary story of modern Yiddish culture through hundreds of rare objects, family heirlooms, photographs, music, and videos. It is a rich and revelatory account that places Yiddish at the heart of the modern Jewish story.
Public tours are available on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and on Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. You can also arrange a group tour by calling 413-256-4900, ext. 124, or by emailing visit@yiddishbookcenter.org.
