Abbott, Cliff
A native of Ohio, Berenice Abbott returned to America in 1929 after working as a photographer in Paris. Making New York City her premier subject, the artist captured its varied aspects during a period of rapid change. In this image—part of a project supported by the national government—Abbott photographed an intersection close to the East River a few blocks from the Manhattan terminus of the Brooklyn Bridge. The dark, shadowy streetscape contrasts with the sunlit, towering American International Building, which, during the Great Depression, served as an emblem of the nation’s modernity, ingenuity, and engineering prowess.Berenice AbbottAmerican1898Springfield, OH1991Monson, ME 
Cliff and Ferry Streets1935Gelatin silver print8 5/8 × 3 3/8University of Nebraska–Lincoln, allocation of the US government, Federal Art Project of the Works Progress AdministrationU-1856.1943
Cliff and Ferry Streets1935Gelatin silver print8 5/8 × 3 3/8University of Nebraska–Lincoln, allocation of the US government, Federal Art Project of the Works Progress AdministrationU-1856.1943