Crosswalk

First in a new series of imaginary conversations with women in the past

My journey to unbecoming what I am not and embracing who I was meant to be, is a supporting idea behind my series of work I have just dived into. Today I am sharing where I am at the moment and why this new work goes beyond anything I have done in the past.  Starting with Crosswalk, I am having a conversation with history through a cast of characters symbolic of larger issues faced by women in this culture.  

Crosswalk is the first of a series using photographs in the Library of Congress taken in the late fifties and early 1960’s. The source photograph was taken in 1958; the year my mother became pregnant with me. I am expanding beyond my previous work by using photographic  images that are not created by me or held by me in a family album. I have invited a collaborator. His name is Angelo Ruizzoto aka Anthony Angel. .  

Angelo was a street photographer. He grew up in Nebraska, graduated from college in Ohio, and attended Harvard Law. His father was a wealthy man in the construction business. For much of his life he struggled with mental health. He was hospitalized, attempted suicide, and is described as being completely delusional at times. After a medical discharge from the army, he landed in New York City. Using an inheritance from a brother, Angelo had enough money to buy property and live in the heart of Manhattan. It was there he began taking photographs as Anthony Angel. 

 “The Anthony Angel Collection”  contains ca. 60,000 black-and-white photographs of New York City, chiefly Manhattan, taken between 1949 and 1967 by Angelo A. Rizzuto (1906-1967). The images emphasize the vast scale of the Manhattan cityscape and the complex interrelationships between people and their physical environment.”  Description from the Library of Congress

Between 1952 and 1963, at 2pm each day, Angelo left his brownstone on 51st between 1 and 2nd Avenues with cameras and rolls of film. The last picture on the roll was always a portrait of himself. After calling it a day he developed the film. Later  contact sheets of images were printed and organized by visual themes instead of a chronological order. He was trying to arrange them into a format that told a story of the world that he experienced. The effort was to submit them to a publishing house. Unfortunately he was never capable of the level of organization to invite the larger world to see his work. 

When he  realized he would not live to see a book published, he left his estate and his entire catalog of images to the library of congress with the stipulation that they must publish a book of his work. At the time the Library was not interested in Angelo or his work. They did just enough  to satisfy the terms of the will and let the collection sit unnoticed for years. Money from the estate was used to purchase photographs from established photographers including a favorite of mine Diane Arbus. Interestingly she  also struggled with her mental health and died from suicide. 

Writer Michael Lesley discovered the collection in 1973 and began research. He described the “book” printed to satisfy the will  as a stapled poorly printed collection of a dead man.  He published Angel’s World: The New York Photographs of Angelo Rizzuto. is still largely undigitized; as of late 2021, 1400 images are available online.  

I discovered the Anthony Angel Collection when I was searching through the huge collection of photographs. My search criteria was woman, 1950, urban. The title was (Woman walking on a city street) and the year 1958. The references included the photographer's name and a notation from the Anthony Angel Collection. Most importantly the words “There are no known copyright restrictions . Mr Rissuto gave the collection to the Library of Congress without restrictions as a bequest in 1967” 

As an artist, the photographic image is my starting point. Usually it’s my own photograph or a vintage picture of a relative. As I work I am always in conversation with my subject. In this series the challenge is to be having a conversation with someone I haven’t met. As a part of my process I am creating a backstory with imagination and investigation for each of these strangers from the past. 

Woman walking on a city street]

Rizzuto, Angelo, 1906-1967, photographer, 1958...
Library of Congress Control Number 2020636582

The original photograph shows a young woman crossing the street carrying books. In my mind’s eye she is coming into the city from Queens or Brooklyn to take classes at a small college. All her friends have finished secretarial school or are now married. But she is driven to explore beyond the confines of her community and the social structure. The visually dynamic background was designed to give the feeling of energy. It’s motivating her to cross from her old life into the realm of possibilities. 

In 1958, the year this photograph was taken;  only 1% of women were in college or graduate school. Today the figure is  47%. At that time Law schools didn’t want to waste a space on a woman when a man would be certain to get employment. Today women enrolled in law school women outnumber men by 7%.. The gradual increase of women in law school began around 1960. Ruth Bader Ginsberg was one of those women.

She commuted from Brooklyn to NYC to attend college. A year after this photo was taken, she graduated at the top of her class at Columbia’s Law School. After graduation she struggled to find a job in a private firm, so she devoted her time to research and teaching.  Her career was devoted to gender equality.

In RBG’s honor, I am going to call this anonymous woman Ruth and ask her what she is planning to do next? She will be having an impact, that’s for sure. 

Until the next time….