New York Noir: Crime Photos from the Daily News Archive

by William Hannigan and Luc Sante

Book Overview

Some of the century's most recognizable criminals and their dirty work are featured in this collection of more than 130 images culled from the Daily News photo vaults.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0847821722
• ISBN13: 9780847821723
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications
• Length: 159 Pages
• Weight: 2.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 12.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Impressive Iconic Photography Evokes an Era.

The "Daily News" debuted in New York City in 1919. It was to be a newspaper for the common man, which meant not especially literate and frequently immigrant. Its currency was images, the more sensational the better. Nothing sold like sex, murder, and mayhem, graphically illustrated. By 1925, the "Daily News" was the best-selling newspaper in the nation. By 1930, twenty-three per cent of its pages were devoted to crime. "New York Noir" is a selection of about 125 images from the "Daily News" archives, taken from the 1920s through the 1950s. Some are sad, some comical, some grotesque. They're an interesting comment on American urban culture of the time. Many of these photos would spark outrage if any newspaper were to print them today. Their lurid content earned the "Daily News" pointed criticism from many a moralist at the time. But that never hurt business. The style of the photographs had an immistakable influence on cinema and popular culture which continues to this day. The technical limitations that produced starkly flashed foregrounds and pitch-black backgrounds are instantly recognizable in Hollywood films, just as the corruption displayed in the photographs was reflected in popular entertainment. The demeanor of gangsters and thugs -often posed for the photographers- became iconic. Tabloid photojournalists may have wanted only to get the shot that no one else could, but they produced some incredible -and incredibly influential- photographs that have only become more fascinating with time.Luc Sante introduces "New York Noir" with an essay about the history of tabloid journalism. Editor William Hannigan follows with a history of the "Daily News" and its influence on Film Noir. Both of these essays are very readable and worthwhile. The photographs are mostly one-to-a-page and quite sharp. They are all captioned. There is a section of "Synopses" in the back of the book, which provides further information about the stories behind each photograph, when available. I really appreciate this section, which is conveniently organized by page number. Some of the photos really leave the reader hanging, wondering who those people are and how things turned out. You can find out by turning to the back of the book.I recommend "New York Noir" to photography and film noir buffs. Some of these evocative photographs are not for the squeamish, but they have made , and continue to make, quite an impression.

A Step Back In Time

If you are a fan of photography, this book is definately for you. NEW YORK NOIR is chock full of amazing photographs that were the staple of the "New York Daily News." In this book, you get to see some of the poignant images that help define the term noir, and its connection to the silver screen industry, not to mention its effects on tabloid journalism. Many of these same black and white photogrpahs were often used as references to assist in making modern day motion pictures, helping to give a look into the past. From the days of "Three-Gun" Turner to the electrocution of Ruth Snyder, this book captures New York's horrid crime life in a candid, in-your-face style. There is nothing but unhidden truth in each and every photograph. NEW YORK NOIR is a well designed book loaded with powerful images and somewhat detailed descriptions. It is fascinating, riveting, and gives you a decent look at the roots of photojournalism. You can't help but be intrigued by the gritty, graphic photos that once graced the pages of a daily newspaper. It is one amazingly good book.

POWERFUL

This is one powerful and well designed book. I picked it up at a show of the original photographs which I had read about in the New York Times. I was awestruck by the power of the images but even more so by the window it opens into life in New York City during the time they were taken. This book provides real insight into the force of photographs in the media and the their importance in the rise of the American tabloid industry.

Wow and whoa

What a cool book. It's sometimes disturbing to see some of these images of crime as beautiful, but they are beautiful, there's no escaping it. I picked it up because I like the whole genre of noir, but this book makes it very clear where Hollywood got all its ideas. Both essays are very good and informative, but what really marks this as a special book to me are the gorgeous photos and riveting stories of the people on both sides of crime in the city of the century, NYC.

NOIR MANIA FOR REAL

A quality photography book that visually recounts pertinent steps in the history of noir photography and more specifically, the creation of the term noir as it pertains to film and photography in the 20th c. in New York City. A breath of realism, history and fact that beautifully illustrates a fine curatorial example of the kinds of images published by the Daily News that made this paper a forerunner in the telling of real stories suffered and celebrated by real people. William Hannigan is to be commended for his fine selection of photographic and negative samples of a time not long past and still very alive in the movies and crime documents that inspire and fascinate us today. A necessary addition to any photo library of value.