New York's Weegee: From Crime to Celebrities

Weegee, born Arthur Felig, wasn't just any photographer. He had a knack for being at the right place at the right time. In the 1940s, he was famous for snapping pictures of crime scenes in New York City before the police even arrived. He had a police scanner in his car, so he could monitor emergency calls and get to the scene quickly. His quickness got him the nickname Weegee, which some people think came from his use of a squeegee to clean photographic prints. He didn't just stick to crime scenes, though. Weegee also captured images of celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy when he moved to the West Coast. This side of his work isn't as well-known, but it's just as important. It's like having two different photographers in one body, one focusing on reality and the other on fantasy. The book and exhibition Weegee: Society of the Spectacle aim to show how both parts of his work are connected. He was able to do this by using his camera to capture the essence of the moment. Weegee was born in what is now Ukraine and left school early to work odd jobs. He started as a photographer's assistant, developing photos in darkrooms before becoming a freelance news photographer in the 1930s. His most famous photos from this time were taken with a 4x5 Speed Graphic camera, set at f/16 at 1/200 of a second, with flashbulbs and a set focus distance of ten feet. In 1945, he released his first book, Naked City, which inspired a film of the same name. His work in Hollywood saw him experiment in the darkroom, distorting his photos so his subjects looked like strange monstrosities. This is very rare in the story of photography of the 20th century. He was able to do this by using his camera to capture the essence of the moment. Weegee's work was not just about capturing the moment, but also about manipulating it. He would distort his photos in the darkroom, turning his subjects into strange, otherworldly figures. This was a unique approach to photography at the time, and it set Weegee apart from his peers. The exhibit Weegee: Society of the Spectacle explores Weegee’s contrasting works. Weegee’s work would later inspire photographers like Diane Arbus. Weegee's work is on view at the International Center of Photography in New York from January 23 to May 5. A book of the same name accompanies the major exhibit.