New York Noir: Crime Photos from
the Daily News Archive by William J.
Hannigan
A Shock To The System
When Ruth Snyder was electrocuted at Sing Sing Prison in 1928, New
York Daily News photographer Tom Howard was there--with a miniature
camera hed hidden under the cuff of his pants. The resulting snapshot
made the front page the next morning (under the headline DEAD!) and
provoked fierce controversy among those wondering if tabloid journalism
had finally gone too far. But, as Luc Sante points out in his introduction to
New York Noir, a selection of pictures from the Daily News archives, the
tabloids retailed exclamation points--Snyder in the electric chair was
merely an extreme example of imagery that was a regular staple of the
papers coverage. Many of the photos in New York Noir are not for the
squeamish: corpses in the street or slumped in their car seats appear
regularly, as do battered and bloodied criminals and suspects. But the
power of these stark images is unmistakable--they are, as the books title
indicates, the raw material for the gritty vision of urban life that film noir
popularized. For some people, tabloid crime photos are synonymous with
Arthur Weegee Fellig; only one of his pictures graces these pages,
however, and the other photographers represented here (many identified
only by last name or no name at all) demonstrate that his reputation relies
as much on promotional hustle as on artistic merit. Whenever possible,

archivist William Hannigan supplies background information on the people
and incidents in the pictures--but it is the images themselves, rather than
the stories, that will stick in the readers mind. --Ron Hogan
Personal Review: New York Noir: Crime Photos from the Daily
News Archive by William J. Hannigan
This is a collection of black and white photographs mostly taken during the
Prohibition and Depression eras for the tabloid "The Daily News". Most of
what could be said about this book is already here in the reviews listed,
nevertheless, it is worth repeating that "New York Noir" is an important
addition to any collection of books on photography, and essential for
anyone with an interest in the history of photojournalism. It would also be
useful for anyone with an interest in social history; particularly of big city
life during the American 1930s, 40s & 50s.
Most of the photos here are of crime scenes, and a few suicides thrown in.
Crime scenes are mysteries; we all sense there is a story there. But the
real mystery in this book is who were the guys who took these
photographs? Whoever they were, they had no idea they were setting
down an arena for further developments in creativity - in film, in fiction and
in graphic design. This was working class photography and these guys
were simply on the job, trying to outdo each other in the quest for a better
shot in time for the next issue, sparing little thought over notions of higher-
order art. Except perhaps for Arthur Fellig (aka Weegee), who was
apparently more astute when it came to ensuring acknowledgement for his
work, most of the guys who worked for the newspapers were largely
unheralded. They are now just names, long dead and forgotten. Many of
the shots reproduced in this book are only credited with a surname, or are
simply credited as "Daily News" photos - nobody can work out now who
took the shot.
[...]The conditions under which these guys were working forged a new
creative genre, now commonly known as `NOIR'. It was an oppressive
era, politically and socially, equipment was still heavy and unwieldy, they
had to contend with light (additional lighting was used where it was
deemed necessary to illuminate, not for artistic effect) and weather
variables and while access to crime scenes were not yet barred to
newspaper folks, access was sometimes restricted for other reasons.
Check "The Trigger's Squeezed" and "Empire State Suicide"; both
demonstrate how restricted access forced the photographers to use
unusual camera angles, resulting in distant shots with long lines and deep,
extended shadows which, together with the subject matter concerned,
creates a sense of oppressiveness, of callous unconcern, of cold doom,
and of finality (this can be keenly sensed in "Killer's End"); these are what
are now regarded as the essential ingredients of good, classic noir film and
associated imagery.
What makes a photograph (and for that matter, any piece of good art) a
`classic' is that it alludes to a story, or it at least contains something that

will intrigue viewers through the ages. While much of the information for
the shots in this book, including the names of the persons involved could
be traced (the corresponding synopses are listed at the back), there
remain unanswered questions. How was it that the two ladies could
tolerate each other's presence at the grave of their man in "A Bigamist
Mourned"? What was it that a pretty doll such as Anna Downey saw in
John Collins, a hardened killer? ("Until Death Do Us Part"). Why did the
gangsters have such flippant attitudes? Check the aspect of Louis Capone
on his way to Sing Sing in "En Route To The Chair".
There are other questions for which answers could have been provided in
the book somewhere, after some further research. It would have been
helpful to know the process and exactly why some of the photos were
"touched-up" to ensure they were fit for publication. And who were some
of these photographers? And what was the system for acknowledgement
and payment? Something could have been said about the cops; perhaps
some reasoning for their attitudes and conduct with the public. [...]
Regardless of all of this, the book is very exciting. The images reflect the
developments in technology, particularly with the flash; first the bar flash,
then the bulb, and then finally the `flash gun'. The sharper and clearer
shots, including those taken under brilliant light are perhaps the most
striking, and what are most easily recognized as `noir' imagery. All
together, these are shots of a period in history which will never return. The
assemblage of ephemera of that age; the hats, the shoes and clothing
styles, the hair styles, the cars, the buildings and everything else can never
be reproduced. And there is something very sexy about it all.
For a further exploration in this photography genre, I strongly recommend
"City of Shadows: Sydney Police Photographs 1912-1948"; with shots of
folks who were colder, cheaper and meaner, and where things seem even
more surreal. To see how such newspaper shots influenced photography
in a creative sense, see if you can find "Retail Fictions: The Commercial
Photography of Ralph Bartholomew Jr." - still around in some `seconds'
bookshops.
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