The maypole
1932
Medium
gelatin silver photograph
Measurements
35.1 × 27.1 cm (image) 35.4 × 27.7 cm (sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Presented by Maxwell Photo-Optics Pty Ltd, 1973
© Edward Steichen. ARS/Copyright Agency, 2023
Gallery location
Late 19th & early 20th Century Paintings & Decorative Arts Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
In late 1929 a new building, commissioned to be the tallest in the world, began to take form in midtown Manhattan – the Empire State Building. Completed in 1931, it was a marvel of construction rising 381 metres from the street. Its steel frame, clad in stone, soared above the city. A year after it opened, Edward Steichen sought to photograph the iconic building. The great height of the structure presented technical challenges for the photographer, which he overcame by using an extreme vertical viewpoint and multiple exposures to convey the immense scale and sense of excitement inspired by the skyscraper.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
New York, New York, United States
Inscription
inscribed in pencil on reverse u.l.: The Maypole (Empire State Building) 1932 / Photographer: Edward Steichen / Collection of the Museum of Modern Art
inscribed in pencil on reverse c.: HS O / 10½ s Γ
Accession Number
PH172-1973
Department
International Photography
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of the Bowness Family Foundation