Milk wagon and horse. Part of the Federal Art Project.

Berenice Abbott
American, 1898–1991

Berenice Abbott, an American photographer, played a pivotal role in connecting the photographic and cultural scenes of Paris and New York. Born in Springfield, Ohio, she moved to New York in 1918, where she studied sculpture and formed significant relationships with figures like Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray. In 1921, Abbott moved to Paris, furthered her artistic studies, and worked as an assistant in Man Ray's studio, where she honed her photography skills. Her first solo exhibition in 1926 featured portraits of the Parisian avant-garde, a genre she continued throughout her career, including a famous portrait of James Joyce. Abbott’s discovery of Eugène Atget’s photographs at the Man Ray Studio in 1925 led her to preserve his archive after his death, solidifying her role in safeguarding this influential body of work.

Returning to New York in 1929, Abbott was struck by the city's rapid urban transformation and began documenting the changing landscape. Her project, "Changing New York," funded by the Works Progress Administration, became a landmark in documentary photography and was showcased in a traveling exhibition and publication in 1939. Abbott continued to champion a documentary photography style throughout her life while promoting Atget's work. Her photography was featured in key exhibitions of the time, including the 1932 solo show at the Julien Levy Gallery, and in 1970, a major retrospective was held at The Museum of Modern Art.