The inimitable and notorious photographer known as Weegee, (aka. Arthur Fellig) exposed the scope of New York’s nightlife; whether it was celebrating high-culture or low-life revellers. Throughout his career Weegee was a true nightcrawler whether he was pursuing early hour crimes and disasters or hitting up parties that rocked till dawn.

One of the reoccurring sub-motifs in his oeuvre is documenting the affects of alcohol. In this work "Allstars" captures but does not disturb this patron. The subject dozes in a banquet with his hat tipped down, accompanied only by his drink. Weegee would utilize this framing in many other images of the city’s sleepers. These lonesome shots are distinctly different from his images of lively and sometimes debaucherous groups.

Many of these images were created in downtown New York City, around the Bowery. In 2016 the International Center for Photography organized an exhibition of Weegee images centered around this theme

Click here to see another example of a lonely city sleeper held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

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“Allstars” (Drunk)

Gelatin silver print

USA, c. 1940

9.5"H 8.5"W (work)

16.5"H 15"W (framed)

Very good condition