Accession Number
2017/2.297

Title
The Eye, Lower East Side, New York, 1948

Artist(s)
William Witt

Object Creation Date
1948

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
14 in x 11 in (35.56 cm x 27.94 cm);9 ½ in x 10 in (24.13 cm x 25.4 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James Agah, Class of 1989 (BBA)

Label copy
After World War II, William Witt explored the busy streets of New York City with his camera, photographing uncanny juxtapositions of architecture and signage. In The Eye, Lower East Side, New York, he presents a shop sign advertising eye exams, framing the scene from an elevated and angled perspective so that the eyes on the sign and window unsettlingly meet the viewer's gaze. While the eyes call attention to the acts of looking and seeing, the signs themselves block any view of what lies beyond them.

In Self-Portrait in Fun House Mirror, Witt creates another image that explores the act of looking. In this photograph, he frames a curious view in which a woman's body is humorously halved by a grid of mirrors. Though Witt's reflection is visible on the right, his face, like that of his female counterpart on the opposite side of the mirror, is blocked by the camera.

Physical Description
The sign and two corner windows of a shop fill most of the frame. Large, single eyes in round or oval frames are painted on windows and sign. Seen through the glam, people fill the streets.

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Primary Object Type
black and white print

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
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