Cedar Street from William Street, Manhattan 1936

Berenice Abbott took this photograph, Cedar Street from William Street, in Manhattan, using, I assume, a camera! The composition slices through the urban canyon, and you can feel the weight of the buildings, the way they loom and press in on the street below. I wonder if Abbott felt like an intruder in this space. Did she stand on the sidewalk, unnoticed, a quiet observer amidst the city's hustle? I think about her framing: she used the corner of the building on the right to lead our eye back into the scene. The light is striking, how it casts strong shadows. And then there’s the gesture of the street itself, angling back and away. It is almost like Abbott's saying, "Look at this, look at how far away we can see." She's not just documenting a street; she's inviting us to look closely, to discover the hidden drama in our everyday surroundings. It reminds me of Eugène Atget. Like him, she reminds us to value what’s often overlooked.