- Harlem, NY
1936-1940
Images from Aubrey J. Weeks’ photo albums.
Notes: I was struck by how many photos were taken on the rooftop of the apartment buildings where my grandfather and his family lived in Harlem, NY. His albums from this Post-Renaissance/Depression-era/pre-World War II period have plenty of pictures taken in other locations, all public spaces in Harlem, but why rooftops? I wonder if the rooftop allows for a bit more intimacy – since these are mostly family photos. Or did it allow spontaneity – you could run upstairs and have more space than inside your working-class apartment.
