Berenice Abbott

Happy Birthday Berenice Abbot!! Born in Ohio in 1898, Abbott moved to New York to study journalism, but eventually decided on sculpture and photography. In 1921, Abbott traveled to Europe and worked as an assistant to Man Ray for a time. Together they created portraits of artistic and literary figures. After returning in the early 20th century in New York, she concentrated primarily on architecture. Manhattan was growing fast and the height and close proximity of the structures made for dynamic photos. She published a book of these photographs: Changing New York, in 1939. Later Abbott became fascinated with capturing the laws of physics on film. I have included a shot of Manhattan: The Exchange Place here.