The Critic
1943
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 33.7 x 27 cm (13 1/4 x 10 5/8 in.) sheet: 35.5 x 28.5 cm (14 x 11 1/4 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.67.220
Art Historical Context
Step into the shadowy underbelly of 1940s New York with Weegee's *The Critic* (1943), a silver print that captures the pulse of urban life. Arthur Fellig, known asgee, was a pioneering photojournalist who roamed the city streets with a police scanner, arriving first at crime scenes to document human drama with unflinching immediacy. This 33.7 x 27 cm image, now in the National Gallery of's collection, exemplifies his signature style: stark flash photography that pierced the night, revealing stark contrasts between glamour and grit amid World War II-era Manhattan. At its heart, *The Critic* ju...