The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Under the 3rd Avenue El at Chatham Square, New York
1946, printed 1976
(American, 1905–2000)
Image: 16.3 x 21.3 cm (6 7/16 x 8 3/8 in.); Paper: 20.3 x 25.3 cm (8 x 9 15/16 in.)
Transfer from Ingalls Library 2016.638
Location: not on view
Description
With high urban density comes the need for public transportation. Chatham Square was part of the Bowery, New York City’s Skid Row in the 1940s and a major transportation hub for the Lower East Side. In a single image, Todd Webb captured the development of New York City’s transit network, ranging from the cobblestone street, trolley tracks, and automobiles to, above them, the metal girders of the Third Avenue Line train. All that is missing is the subway, which had replaced most elevated lines by the 1940s. In 1955 the Third Avenue El was the last elevated train to close.- A New York Minute: Street Photography, 1920-1950. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 11-November 7, 2021).
- {{cite web|title=Under the 3rd Avenue El at Chatham Square, New York|url=false|author=Todd Webb|year=1946, printed 1976|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.638