A black and white photograph of people in an open space.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The black and white photograph shows a large open space in an urban setting. The open area is paved with a high wall bordering the back from the left. There is an opening on the right side where a view of buildings on the street is visible. In the foreground on left is a young man wearing dark clothing, a white shirt and a tie. There is a person wearing plus-fours, their back to the view, immediately behind. A Black man in the center is pushing a full wheelbarrow. A group of people is entering the area from the opening on the right.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
P1970.2205
People
Ben Shahn, American (Kovno (now Kaunas), Lithuania 1898 - 1969 New York, NY)
Title
Houston St. Playground (East Houston Street, New York City)
Classification
Photographs
Work Type
photograph
Date
1932-1935
Places
Creation Place: North America, United States, New York State, New York City
Culture
American
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/302271

Physical Descriptions

Technique
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
mount (original mount): 20.2 x 25.4 cm (7 15/16 x 10 in.)
image: 15.9 x 24.3 cm (6 1/4 x 9 9/16 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: recto of mount, lower right, purple ink, in artist's hand: Houston St Playground
  • inscription: verso of mount, lower center, graphite: [assistant of Davis Pratt]: BOOK
  • inscription: inscribed in ink on the recto of the mount, lower left: Houston St. Playground

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Bernarda Bryson Shahn
Copyright
© President and Fellows of Harvard College
Object Number
P1970.2205
Division
Modern and Contemporary Art
Contact
am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Masterpieces of world art : Fogg Art Museum, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, 1997
  • Ben Shahn: On Nonconformity, exh. cat., Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (Madrid, 2023), p. 126, ill. color)

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 1320 Social Realism, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 04/29/2015 - 10/14/2015

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu