Bob Adelman photographs
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
Bob Adelman (1930-2016) was an American photographer known for his images of the Civil Rights Movement; this collection holds about 50 of these civil rights-related photographs. Overall, the collection includes about 540 black and white prints of Adelman's work. Most of the photographs depict 1970s urban street life in New York City, especially Harlem, the Bowery and 14th Street in Manhattan and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, as well as Newark, NJ.
Biographical Note
Robert Melvin "Bob" Adelman (1930-2016) was an American photographer known for his images of the Civil Rights Movement. A New York City native, Adelman was born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens, and attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. He graduated from Rutgers University in 1951 and received his M.A. in 1953 from Columbia. He volunteered as a photographer in the early 1960s for the Brooklyn chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), opening him to opportunities for documenting the Civil Rights Movement on both the local and national levels. Adelman's documentary interests ranged beyond civil rights of the 1960s to include race relations and social concerns more broadly, themes which are reflected in this collection.
(Sources for the above note include Adelman's obituary in the New York Times; his Wikipedia entry; and the announcement that the Library of Congress had received a major donation of Adelman's work in 2017.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by subject, with related photographs kept together as presented by the donor. The subject title was generally derived from the captions on some of the photographs. The photographs are also boxed by size: Boxes 1 and 2 hold 8 x 11 (some smaller), Box 3 holds 14 x 11; Box 4 holds 20 x 16.
Scope and Contents
The collection includes about 540 black and white photographs taken by Bob Adelman. Most of the photographs depict 1970s urban street life in New York City, especially Harlem, the Bowery and 14th Street in Manhattan and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. There are many photographs that focus on particular themes within the urban setting, including the fallout from a New York City black-out, the proximity of black and white residents in Newark, NJ, and storefront destruction in Newark, NJ, resulting from the 1967 riots. African-Americans figure prominently in these photographs, though not exclusively.
About 50 of the photographs concern civil rights activism of the early 1960s. These photos range from nationally-recognized figures, especially Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr., to anonymous activists, and from events of national import, such as the 1963 March on Washington and protests in Selma and Birmingham, Alabama, to protests against discrimination in Brooklyn.
Some of the photographs focus on particular individuals or personalities, including the television personality David Frost (1939-2013), the writer Michael Harrington (1928-1989), Brooklyn "Super Cops" Dave Greenberg and Bob Hantz, and various born again Christians.
Most of the photographs are undated and this is reflected in the container list. Many of the photographs have a copyright stamp with a date of 1978 or 1979, and this is included in the container list when it appears, but in some cases the photograph may have been taken earlier.
The number of photographs in a particular folder is noted in the container list in (parentheses).
Subjects
Genres
People
Topics
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as Bob Adelman Photographs, PR 340, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Credit line: Anonymous.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of an anonymous donor, December 2016.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection was processed by archivist Larry Weimer in October 2017. Volunteer Alison Barr prepared the container list.
Repository
View Inventory
Coney Island (7), 1976, undated
Copague Motel [Copiague?] (9), undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes mostly interior images of the living quarters of an African-American family.
Born Again Christians (10), 1978, undated
Scope and Contents
Includes, among others, Walter Hoving in two photographs and a member of Cops for Christ.
Boring N.Y. (6), 1979, undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes images of bored people or "boring" settings, with whimsical outlook, such as the front entrance to the Broadway musical "Oh! Calcutta!"
Bowery (1 of 2 folders) (41), 1972, 1977, undated
Scope and Contents
Photographs for magazine piece, including among others: architect of 329 Bowery and wife, traffic on Bowery, artist Tom Wesselman, Tin Palace, Bowery Residents Committee, Amato Opera, WPA, Social Services Building, Bowery "derelicts", also includes photograph of "Street Junkie 8th Avenue 8/10/77" and Dave Healey photograph of "Alcoholics; Bowery NY City Spring 1972"
Bowery (2 of 2 folders) (6)
Blackout (1 of 2 folders) (7), 1978, 1979, undated
Scope and Contents
Some photographs are noted on back as having been taken in the Brunswick [Bushwick?] section of Brooklyn, post looting 8/16 or post-rioting.
Blackout (2 of 2 folders) (3), [1978]
New York City Housing Authority (?) (1 of 2 folders) (36), undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes uncaptioned and undated photographs of people of various ages, races, ethnicities, gender, and walks of life, including children in playgrounds (Brooklyn Bridge in background), elderly playing Bingo, city planning staff (?), facilities maintenance staff (?), payment windows, residents in their rooms, etc. One somewhat outlier is a street scene of men playing dominoes in Spanish Harlem (114th St.).
New York City Housing Authority (?) (2 of 2 folders) (1), undated
Scope and Contents Note
Photograph is captioned "Housing. NYC Poor" and shows an African-American resident and the poor condition of her bathroom.
New York Police Department (1 of 2 folders) (34), circa 1973
Scope and Contents
Many of the photographs are of Dave Greenberg and Bob Hantz known in Bedford-Stuyvesant as "Batman & Robin" from book Super Cops by L.H. Whittemore
New York Police Department (2 of 2 folders) (2), circa 1973
David Frost (13), undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes Frost working at his Smith-Corona typewriter, in discussions over meals, in production meetings, and in the studio.
Michael Harrington (21), circa 1976-1986, undated
Scope and Contents
Includes Harrington speaking in public settings (campuses, classrooms, at a podium in front of a Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee banner) and to individuals, at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, and other settings. One photograph includes wife (Stephanie Gervis, writer for Village Voice) and family.
14th Street (2 folders) (95), 1983, undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes photographs of storefronts (Hammer's restaurant, Star Sewing Machine Co., most unnamed), marquees (Jefferson Theatre), buildings (Consolidated Edison), street performers, people working on 14th Street (vendors, bakers, meatpackers, newstands, women by peep shows, locksmiths, boxer in gym), band and table setting at Luchow's(?) restaurant, and street life in general.
Newark (NJ) Residents (1 of 2 folders) (9), 1972, 1978, 1979, undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes photographs of both white and black residents of Newark. Images of white residents are at least in part from Newark's North Ward and its Italian-American population. Includes celebrating high school seniors (Class of 1972) and students at an entrance to Barringer High School.
Newark (NJ) Residents (2 of 2 folders) (6), undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes a photograph of the storefront of Melograno's Italian Bakery.
Newark Post Riot (12), 1967?
Scope and Contents Note
Includes images of destroyed storefronts, littered streets, and residents. Two photographs include military personnel and a State Police car, with rifles and bayonets.
Harlem (1 of 2 folders) (37), 1979, undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes street level views of buildings (Apollo marquee, Lenox Terrace, Metropolitan Baptist Church, 2937 8th Ave.), an abandoned building used by children as the "Funky Bridge Clubhouse," and scenes of street life.
Harlem (2 of 2 folders) (2), 1973, undated
Scope and Contents Note
Includes photographs of "dope drops" at 126th Street & 8th Ave. and at 128th Street and 8th Ave. (Frederick Douglass Blvd.).
Bedford-Stuyvesant (1 of 2 folders) (61), 1978, undated
Scope and Contents
Photographs of townhouse restoration, $11 million IBM plant near completion, Lerner Shops, storefronts, church fronts (West Baptist, St. Mary Evangelical Christian), townhouse rows, residents on porches, and general street life.
Bedford-Stuyvesant (2 of 2 folders) (16), 1963, 1978, undated
Scope and Contents
Folder includes photograph of Harlem street corner (119th & 7th Avenue 8/8/77)
Civil Rights (1 of 3 folders) (28), 1960s, undated
Scope and Contents
Includes, among others, Malcolm X, March on Washington, Freedom Riders, Martin Luther King, Jr., waterhoses used on protesters, funeral of Malcolm X, protests by Brooklyn CORE against discrimination at Midwood Homes.
Civil Rights (2 of 3 folders) (18), 1960s, 1979, undated
Scope and Contents
Includes, among others, Mary, a Freedom Rider; CORE (Brooklyn?) protest at White Castle; water hoses; Selma; Birmingham; March on Washington, Malcolm X; street protests.
Civil Rights (3 of 3 folders) (7), 1960s, undated
Scope and Contents
Includes "The Rev. Joe Carter, expecting a visit from the Ku Klux Klan after he dared to register to vote, stood guard on his front porch. West Feliciana Parish, La. 1964" (caption from the image as used in a New York Times on-line "Lens" article of 21 March 2016); water hoses used on protesters; Wilcox County candidate poster; Malcolm X; and funeral of Malcolm X.