Robert Dana Scott photographs
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Language of Materials
Abstract
The collection includes 13 albums of color photographs by Robert Dana Scott. The subjects of the albums are street art/murals at 5 Pointz in Long Island City, Queens, and in Bushwick, Brooklyn; street people/homeless and bookshops in Manhattan; boats on the East River; the lights and street life of Times Square; the major events of 2020, including the impact on New York City of the Covid-19 pandemic, the social justice protests in response to the killing of George Floyd, and the 2020 presidential election campaign; trucks tagged with graffiti; and general scenes of Manhattan.
Biographical/Historical Note
Robert Dana Scott (born 1951) is a New York City resident, living on 42nd Street.
Arrangement Note
The albums are in roughly chronological order.
Scope and Contents Note
The collection includes 13 albums of 4 x 6 inch color photographs by Robert Dana Scott. Each album is centered on a theme and subject matter concerning some aspect of New York City, including street art/murals at 5 Pointz in Long Island City, Queens, and in Bushwick, Brooklyn; street people/homeless in Manhattan; bookshops; East River scenes; the lights and street life of Times Square; the major events of 2020, including the impact on New York City of the Covid-19 pandemic, the social justice protests in response to the killing of George Floyd, and the 2020 presidential election campaign; trucks tagged with graffiti; and general views of New York City.
Subjects
Genres
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.
Many of the photographs include small captions, usually on the reverse, which are commonly obscured by the enclosures. Patrons may not remove the photographs from their enclosures, but need to request assistance from the Reference Librarian for the Department of Prints, Photographs and Architectural Collections.
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 Note
This collection should be cited as Robert Dana Scott photographs, PR 363, Department of Prints, Photographs, and Architectural Collections, New-York Historical Society.
Credit line: Robert Dana Scott.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition Note
The albums were gifts of the photographer, Robert Dana Scott, received over time from 2011-2022.
About this Guide
Processing Information Note
The collection was initially processed by archivist Larry Weimer in May 2018. An additional album was added in 2021 and 5 in 2022.
Repository
View Inventory
"5 Pointz", 2006-2013
Scope and Contents Note
Includes about 93 4 x 6 inch color photographs from the mural space in Long Island City, Queens, known as 5 Pointz. (The murals were painted over by the building's owner and developer in 2013.)
"Times Square", 2010
Scope and Contents Note
Includes an album with 171 4 x 6 inch color photographs of Times Square scenes in 2010. Includes night scenes of the Times Square signage and other lights. Includes tour buses and tourists (Holland soccer fans, zombie convention attendees in costume), signage (e.g., hotels, subway, restaurants, Broadway shows and theatres, adult entertainment venues, Police Department, McDonald's, Ripley's, Madame Tussaud's), buildings, crowds of people, costumed street performers/actors (e.g., Naked Cowboy, Naked Cowgirl, Elmo, tin man), police on duty, pedicabs, news crawls on the sides of buildings, street vendors, protests/demonstrations (e.g., anti-abortion, against meat-eating (PETA), pro-North Korea). Most scenes are from the summer; a few include snowy streets.
"Misery of the Metropolis: Photographs of Beggars and Battered Souls on the Streets of Manhattan", 2015
Scope and Contents Note
Includes 76 4 x 6 inch color photographs from September 2015 of street people sleeping on sidewalks and alcoves, with signs requesting help or cups for donations, and with bags or carts with their possessions.
"Book Shops of Manhattan", 2016
Scope and Contents Note
Includes 97 4 x 6 inch color photographs of bookshops in early 2016: storefronts, signage, street sales, some interiors. Includes, among others, Argosy, Alabaster, Mysterious, Mast, Book-Off (interiors), Corner, Strand, Shakespeare, Ursus, Bauman, Quest, Left Bank, East Village, Dashwood, Mercer Street, St. Mark's, Book Cellar, La Casa Azul, Crawford Doyle, Logos, Posman, Westsider, Book Culture, McNally Jackson (interiors), 192 Books, Strand stalls in Central Park, Center for Fiction, Rizzoli (interiors), Three Lives, various Barnes & Noble (interiors). Includes a statement of Scott's purpose.
"Bushwick Street Art", 2016
Scope and Contents Note
Includes 90 4 x 6 inch color photographs from April 2016 of street art (i.e., murals on buildings, fencing, and doorway grates). The photos were taken on various streets in Bushwick, Brooklyn, especially Troutman, St. Nicholas, Flushing, Morgan, and Wyckoff. Includes a statement of Scott's purpose.
"East River Boat & Ship Traffic", 2016
Scope and Contents Note
Includes 69 4 x 6 inch color photographs of East River scenes from late 2016. Includes tugboats, Circle Line and other tour boats, barges, New York Water Taxi, fishing boats, and others. Includes scenes of buildings, bridges, highways, and the Pepsi Cola sign along the river.
"Manhattan 2020: Covid-19, George Floyd", 2020-2021, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Includes almost 200 color photographs taken in New York City during the major events of 2020: the impact of the coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic on the city, the racial/social justice protests spurred by the killing of George Floyd, and the presidential election campaign involving candidates Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The album opens with a statement by Rob Scott with his impressions of the beginnings of the pandemic's impact in March-April 2020. There are also items of ephemera and news clippings.
"New York City: 2021", 2021, inclusive
Scope and Contents
100 6x4 inch color photographs of various scenes in New York: buildings, parks, statues, graffiti, signs/posters/advertisements, parks, and street life.
"Manhattan Graffiti Trucks" (5 albums), 2021, inclusive
Scope and Contents
4 albums of 6x4 inch color photographs (326 photographs) of trucks on the streets of Manhattan, tagged with graffiti.