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Photographs by Rudy Burckhardt from the 1940s

Some photos are really magic capturing the exact moment. Many photos by Rudy Burckhardt are that kind of magic even when it’s a building or landscape that doesn’t really move or change. When he snapped, he caught that building or landscape taking a breath. In the 1940s, Rudy was in the the Signal Corps, spent time in the Caribbean and Mexico, got married to the painter, Yvonne Jacquette with whom he’d collaborate on many projects over the years, and they started to raise a family as well.

During the 1940s, Rudy Burckhardt focused on still lives, city scapes in Paris and New York, and personal photos of people in Haiti, Trinidad, and Mexico too, inside their homes and out; all are worth a look. Enjoy.

Dancing in Daily Life, 1940 Dancing in Daily Life, 1940

New York Moment, 1940 New York Moment, 1940

Astoria, Queens, 1940 Astoria, Queens, 1940

Jumbo Malted, 1940 Jumbo Malted, 1940

Astor Place, New York, 1947. Astor Place, New York, 1947.

Astor Place, New York, 1947. Astor Place, New York, 1947.

Herald Square, New York, 1947 Herald Square, New York, 1947

Subway, New York, 1947 Subway, New York, 1947

Subway, New York, 1947 Subway, New York, 1947

Subway, New York, 1947 Subway, New York, 1947

Subway, New York, 1947 Subway, New York, 1947

Time Square at Dusk, 1947 Time Square at Dusk, 1947

Two Women, Paris, 1947 Two Women, Paris, 1947

Paris Realization, Paris, 1947 Paris Realization, Paris, 1947

Flatiron Building, Summer, 1948. Flatiron Building, Summer, 1948.


Rudy Burckhardt was published in 2004 by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Philip Lopate and Vincent Katz are the authors. The book includes the photographs of Rudy Burckhardt from the 1930s to the 1990s. The photos above are taken from this book.

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