Maggie's Farm

The International Center of Photography is running a retrospective on Weegee, also known as Arthur Fellig, who was known for his stark black and white photos.  His story is very inspirational, but most interesting was how he remade himself in the midst of the Depression.

Some economic historians observe that while crises might make it riskier to strike out on one’s own, by depressing pay they also lower the opportunity costs of leaving a job.

Weegee had an eye for the presentation of America's social life.  It was generally optimistic, tinged with dark humor.  This developed only after he redirected his career as a studio photographer into one following a police radio, and is the portion of his career the retrospective focuses on in "Murder is My Business."  As this career path began to fade, Weegee recreated himself again by documenting society and individuals in an America that was enjoying itself.  The mythology surrounding him was primarily of his own creation, which today adds an extra dimension to what makes him so fascinating.

One of his pieces of work become the model for Mad's Alfred E. Neuman.

The story of Arthur Fellig is the story of individual American exceptionalism.