Lunch Atop a Skyscraper Photo Analysis
In October 1932, during the peak of the Great Depression and bank runs sweeping the United States, many New Yorkers started their day like any other, with a coffee and the newspaper. What they weren’t expecting was to see in the photo supplement of the New York Herald Tribune this chilling and striking image of eleven immigrants workers on the 69th-floor of what later became the RCA building of the Rockefeller Centre.
The publication led many to wonder about who had taken the photo. A very unexpected reaction from the public because then artists weren’t considered important. At first, the picture was believed to belong to Charles C. Ebbets. Tomas Kelly and William Leftwich were next to be credited for the image, and eventually, it was officially attributed to “unknown” by the Rockefeller archive.
In this black and white photo, the focus is the eleven construction workers, wearing their dirty trousers, overalls, work boots, and gloves, casually sitting side by side on a beam with their feet dangling over 850 feet in the air. Under them, it’s the blurry sight of Manhattan, and looking closer, you can see Central Park on the right. Shockingly, they are carelessly enjoying and sharing their food and cigarettes, happily talking, and even just appreciating the view with a bottle of whiskey in their hand. However, don’t get mistaken. This was a staged photograph taken to promote the construction of the Rockefeller Centre. These men were asked to have their lunch on that beam and every detail of the picture was part of the publicity stunt.
It had been three years since the Great Depression started, and people were getting tired of the constant struggle of not having enough money to at least make ends meet. These workers, with their relaxed and brave stance, encourage others to keep going. They too were normal people, they too were hungry, and they too had little money, but they were “on top of the world”. They reminded many to take a break and enjoy this kind of moment with their close ones and have a good time.
The fact that the workers are all immigrants is not a casualty neither. The purpose of this was to show that immigrants were also collaborating to the US growth. They wanted to manifest how the economic crisis was damaging other countries severely, to promote an open mindset towards immigrants and motivate US citizens to welcome foreigners.
Undoubtedly, this photograph had left anyone who came across it perplexed and in awe of it, resulting in many imitations. It also succeeded in delivering more than one positive message that reaches any kind of audience and it remains as one iconic moment of New York’s history that no one will ever forget.
