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(CINEMA MARQUEES)
Archive containing 99 professional photographs
of American movie marquees on Broadway and
Main Streets in (largely) small towns from the
Northeast to Midwest to Southern California,
including Utica and Elmira,NewYork; Clinton
and Lynn, Massachusetts; Bristol, Connecticut;
York and Altoona, Pennsylvania; Baltimore,
Maryland;Wilmington, Delaware; Racine and
Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, and Whittier and Santa Barbara,
California; as well as signage on movie palaces
in New York City and Philadelphia. Silver
prints, 13 are 5x7 inches (12.7x17.8 cm.), and
the reverse, and the remaining prints
approximately 4
1
/
4
x6
1
/
4
inches (10.8x15.9 cm.),
several with the photographer’s credit or the
location identified in the negative, most with
handwritten notations, in pencil, a hand stamp,
or a typewritten caption on verso. 1930s
[2,000/3,000]
A vernacular extravaganza of images reflecting
photography’s relationship to social history and
multiple roles.The marvelous buildings, neon displays,
and commercial signage reflect an architectural focus
that occupies center stage. For aficionados of consumer culture, the range of movie titles and tag lines (“StarWitness—
GuaranteedToThrillYou”), plus mom-and-pop diners, markets and shops are other star elements.And, for enthusiasts
of automobiles, there’s a host of pictures in which trucks, roadsters and sedans play a leading role.
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