The Joy of Living

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The Joy of Living

Descriptive: [Murder scene beneath movie marquee]
United States, circa 1940
Photographs
Gelatin-silver print
Image: 6 5/8 × 4 5/8 in. (16.83 × 11.75 cm) Primary support: 7 1/16 × 5 in. (17.94 × 12.7 cm) Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.64 cm)
Gift of Mrs. Nancy Dubois (M.2000.39.2)
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

Arthur Fellig—known as Weegee, possibly a phonetic spelling of Ouija for his sixth sense in knowing when something newsworthy would occur—shows a crime scene in which a policeman covers a dead body th...
Arthur Fellig—known as Weegee, possibly a phonetic spelling of Ouija for his sixth sense in knowing when something newsworthy would occur—shows a crime scene in which a policeman covers a dead body that is hidden under a layer of newspapers on a trash-lined curb. The bright light of the flash illuminates the scene. The faces of the policemen and onlookers are whited out by the flash; their presence is not described in detail but merely recorded. Figures are cropped out on the left and right sides of the frame, capturing the tension and chaos of this gruesome moment.
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