Blog Posts by Subject: Photography

PIC is a collection of biographical data for over 115,000 photographers, studios, manufacturers, dealers, and others involved in the production of photographs.

A surprised looking bathtub, a quixotic building column, and a pipe that looks like it might go “meow!”

The 1915-1916 tour, which included the Palace Theatre run, was the first to feature dancers from the Ruth St. Denis School of Dancing and its Related Arts, which was founded in the summer of 1915 and which became known, in a mingling of the two founders’ names, as Denishawn.

On display until February 29 at St. Agnes Library is Sandra Jetton’s Street Theater: Scenes from the Show.

What better way to discover these Staten Island materials then by taking a historic trip down the Staten Island Railroad, starting at St. George and traveling all the way down to Tottenville. All aboard!

Did you know that out of 180,000 public domain images, over 2,000 are from the Bronx? This post will highlight some the treasures from this incredible gold mine of historic images that are now free to use.

These double and triple exposures made more memorable headshots which showed multiple aspects of the performer. At worst, they interfered with the casting directors' ability to imagine the performer in roles.

Last year, the Mid-Manhattan Library hosted distinguished scholars and authors at the Author @ The Library series. Some of the topics presented included photography, education, science and technology, New York City, performing and visual arts, politics and government, religion and sports.

There are at least three portraits from this studio session with the same elegant profile, hair, make-up, jewelry, and blouse. The raw silk blouse, with its uniquely draped sleeve, is an unusual choice for a head shot, since the sunburst effect of the sleeve cap commands the eye.

If you’ve never heard of Dulcie Cooper, don’t worry, there’s still time to get familiar: two portraits of her are on display in Head Shots through December 30.

Shimmering blue water. A hand, a rose, emerges from a kaleidoscope color field. Glimpses from a small village named Eldorado. These are just some of the stunning imagery captured by Brazilian-born photographer Fernanda Rocha.

If you'd like to understand why more wild animals are venturing into urban environments; to discover how the great impressionist Monet ate; to examine the Polaroid-Kodak patent war; to celebrate the music and poetry of Leonard Cohen; to learn how to beat fatigue; to explore the economic consequences of climate change; to relive a harrowing but heroic moment in Armenian history; to argue against suicide; or learn how to cope with the narcissists in your life, please join us this month!

The cartes de visite, cabinet photographs and stereograms of Kate Claxton, an intensely photogenic actress.

August 19 is #WorldPhotographyDay so here are some recommendations of photography books from our collections.

The advent of contact sheets was great for photography studios and of course, actors and their agents.

Two unusual examples of triptychs, which combine headshots with character portraits.

Why does a man, who believed that photography contributed to the “impoverishment of the French genius” let himself be photographed and therefore share his image with the world?

When we started to think about an exhibition on Head Shots based on the Library for the Performing Arts’ collections, we discovered that almost every format in the history of photographic portraits was used as a headshot.

Primarily working in black and white portraiture, Mann imbues her work with luminosity and a sensual macabre. Her memoir Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs is newly published, and this week on the New York Public Library Podcast, we're proud to present Sally Mann discussing ethical photography and stories.