Cedar Street from William Street, Manhattan 1936

Berenice Abbott made this photograph, Cedar Street from William Street, Manhattan, sometime in the mid-twentieth century. It's a city scene, but it's also an exercise in contrasts: the sharp edges of the buildings against the soft light, the detailed ornamentation of the building on the right against the smooth, blank skyscraper in the background. Look at the way the light falls on the corner building, how it emphasizes the texture of the stone and the depth of the carving, and then let your eye travel up to the skyscraper, which is almost featureless. It's like Abbott is saying, "Look at what we're losing, what we're leaving behind." I’m drawn to the glimpse of a distant building at the end of the street – is that the future rushing towards us? Like the paintings of Edward Hopper, Abbott's photographs make you feel like you're standing on the edge of something, a moment of change or transition. There's a sense of melancholy, but also a sense of possibility, a feeling that anything could happen next.