How to Read This Famous Photograph of New York

Paul Strand’s memorable portrait of Wall Street

Wall Street, New York (1915) by Paul Strand. Photogravure. Image source Wikimedia Commons

Paul Strand took this photograph of New York’s Wall Street in 1915. It shows the morning rush hour. Figures walk directly into the dawning sun, moving southeast through the city’s financial district in front of the J.P. Morgan & Co. Building.