Kurt Boone photographs and pictorial works
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The collection includes ten photographic prints by Kurt Boone of subway performers, seven books or booklets of photographs (mostly by Boone) concerning messenger culture and street photography, and seven posters related to Boone's work and bicycling.
Biographical/Historical Note
Kurt Boone was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1959. The New York City-based author, poet, and courier/messenger is known for his work documenting street culture, including graffiti, urban cycling, street performers, subway busking, skateboarding, and spoken word performance.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in two series:
Series I. Photographic Prints
Series II. Other Pictorial Works
Scope and Contents Note
The collection includes ten photographic prints by Kurt Boone (born 1959 in Brooklyn) of subway performers, seven books or booklets of photographs (mostly by Boone) concerning messenger culture and street photography, and seven posters related to Boone's work and cycling.
Subjects
Access Restrictions
Available by advance appointment only. To schedule an appointment, contact the Print Room Librarian at printroom@nyhistory.org. Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)
Use Restrictions
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 212-485-9228
Permission to reproduce or quote text from this collection in a publication must be requested from and granted in writing by the Library Director, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194.
Preferred Citation Note
This collection should be cited as Kurt Boone Photographs and Pictorial Works, PR 356, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, The New-York Historical Society.
Credit line for donated photographs: Kurt Boone Photography
Immediate Source of Acquisition Note
Series I: The photographs and posters in folder 1 were gifts of Kurt Boone in 2017. The photographs in folder 2 were purchases from the photographer in 2017 (Rosa Teresa) and 2018 (all others in folder 2).
Series II: Purchased from Kurt Boone in 2019.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The initial collection of six photographs was processed by archivist Marybeth Kavanagh in February 2018. An additional four photographs were acquired during 2018 and these were added to the finding aid by archivist Larry Weimer in December 2018. Additional material, which formed Series II, was processed by achivist Larry Weimer in 2019.
Repository
Series I. Photographic Prints, 2014-2015, 2017, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of ten 16x20" color photographs of subway performers taken by Kurt Boone mostly in 2015 (one was taken in 2014) as part of his "Subway Beats" project. In addition, there are two posters advertising a related 2017 exhibition of Boone's photographs, Music in the Tunnels, held at Quimby's Bookstore in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The specific photographs in the collection are itemized in the container list below. Titles, dates and locations used in this finding aid are not found on the photographs themselves, but were provided by Kurt Boone in the collection's transactional documents
Arrangement
The photographs are arranged in the container list alphabetically by title, with posters at the end of the list. Purchased photographs are in a separate folder from donated photographs.
Accordion Player, 2015
Scope and Contents
Location: 42nd Street/6th Avenue
Alice Tan Ridley, 2015
Scope and Contents
Location: 42nd Street/Times Square
Ebony Hillbillies, 2015
Scope and Contents
Location: Times Square/42nd Street
Jeff Masing (One Man Band), 2015 April 19
Scope and Contents
Location: MTA Music Union Square/14th Street Station Stage
Larry Wright & Sonia Wright, 2015
Scope and Contents
Location: Union Square
Maxidekalu, 2014 June 9
Scope and Contents
Location: MTA Music Times Square/42nd Street Station Stage
Mike Groisman, 2015 March 30
Scope and Contents
Location: MTA Music Times Square/42nd Street Station Stage
Rosa Teresa, 2015 May 20
Scope and Contents
Location: 23rd Street and 6th Avenue Station.
The Silver Cowboy (Three Dancers in Paint), 2015 February 24
Scope and Contents
Location: Times Square/42nd Street Station
Trumpet Player (Artist Name Unknown), 2015 April 11
Scope and Contents
Location: 59th Street and Lexington Avenue Station
Poster for the Music in the Tunnels photo exhibition at Quimby's Bookstore in Brooklyn., 2017
Scope and Contents
Poster features a photo of the Saw Lady, subway performer.
Poster for the Music in the Tunnels photo exhibition at Quimby's Bookstore in Brooklyn, 2017
Scope and Contents
Poster features a photo of Rosa Teresa, subway performer.
Series II. Other Pictorial Works, 2012-2019, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
The series primarily includes books or booklets of photographs, most of which are connected with Kurt Boone as photographer or as author of text. The books generally concern street photography, messenger culture, and cycling. There are a few posters, two of which relate to the books, and others relate to film and a film festival centered on cycling. All items are listed in the container list.
Arrangement
The series is organized by genre/format.
Book: "NYC Street Portraiture", 2019
Scope and Contents
Photography by Kurt Boone. Autographed by Boone.
Book: "The Culture of Messenger Bags", 2019
Scope and Contents
Photography by Kurt Boone (with other credits). Autographed by Boone.
Book: "Urgent Document: Messenger Culture: Exhibition Catalog" (see poster below), 2018
Scope and Contents
Photography by Kurt Boone & JC Ramirez. Autographed by Boone.
Book: "Messenger 841 Pro Pouch Book", undated
Scope and Contents
Photography by Kurt Boone (and other credits). Autographed by Boone. Includes "mess life poems" by Boone.
Book: "Eye Level: Empire State Building", undated
Scope and Contents
Photography by Michaelle Chapoteau. Text by Kurt Boone. Autographed by both.
Book: "Brooklyn Cruise Terminal: Red Hook Criterium Portraits", 2018
Scope and Contents
Portrait photographs of cyclists taken by Harry Zernike in a pop-up studio at the Red Hook Crit Brooklyn in 2018.
Periodical: "G-Shock: Profiles", 2014
Scope and Contents
Vol. 3: Skate. Related to skateboarding.
Poster: "Urgent Document: Messenger Culture: A Photo Exhibition" (see book above), 2018
Poster: "Eye Level: Empire State Building" (see book above), undated
Scope and Contents
Autographed by both Boone and photographer Chapoteau.
Poster for movie "Premium Rush", 2012
Poster for movie "Line of Sight" at Bicycle Film Festival, 2012
Poster for panel discussion "The Urban Playground", 2012
Scope and Contents
Event at Eastern Mountain Sports store in Soho; panel discussion moderated by Kurt Boone. Poster autographed by Boone. Poster design by Brice Losinski. Art by Greg Ugalde.