Ernst Haas: New York in Color 1952-1962
Back in April 2023, I mentioned a future review of “Ernst Haas: New York in Color 1952-1962.” Well, 8 months later, I finally made the time to actually sit down and put this together. During those 8 months my appreciation of this book has grown, not only for the individual images but also for the way the editors paired the images in laying out the book itself.
The Photos
The images below are reproductions from the book, photographed by me, and represent some of my favorites. My photographs are cropped from the originals. The original works are copyrighted by the Ernst Haas Estate and/or Prestel Publishing.
Ernst Haas was a master of light, shadow, color, and motion at a time when much of professional photography was still printed in black and white. In fact, according to the front, inside dust cover, some of the images included in this book were included in the first color issue of Life Magazine published in 1953. Ernst’s work was also singled out and showcased in the first color exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1962.
It is obvious from the title, that this book is all about color, but it is really much more than that. Ernst’s work is a perfect example of how a place and its people can be photographed both accurately and artistically, combining reportage with emotion and feeling. Ernst Hass took these photos over the span of a decade, and in doing so, he captured the essence of an entire city. For this reason, I think it would be an injustice to reduce Ernst Hass to a street photographer. In these photos, he captures the life, grit, art, and humanity of a great city.
Book Layout
Since I’m not reviewing a photographer, but a photo book, I’d like to take a little time to talk about book layout. In keeping with the artistic nature of the subject, Ernst’s photos are not printed in chronological order but rather in an equally artistic layout. The editors did a fantastic job of pairing photos on every two-page spread of this book. I’m only going to give a few examples, but the layout is one that anyone interested is printing a photo book should keep in mind.
The relationship between the photos on the left and right pages of the spreads above are relatively simple and obvious, but other pairings in the book are more complex. Regardless of complexity, once you realize it is there, it makes the book even that much more interesting.
