Hasta La Ideas

Henry Rosen (left) and Harvey Stemmer (centre) were arrested for bribing basketball players, January 25, 1945. All images: © Weegee/ICP/Getty Images, and courtesy Michael Hoppen Gallery

Opening today at the Michael Hoppen Gallery in London is an exhibition of photographs by Weegee of New York life in the 1930s and 40s.

After the Opera at Sammy’s Nightclub on the Bowery, c. 1944

Weegee worked as a press photographer, though his photographs are now viewed as a mixture of art, documentary and photojournalism. Apparently his nickname (Weegee’s real name was Arthur Fellig) was derived from the word ouija, due to his uncanny ability to arrive at a scene only minutes after a crime had taken place. Consquently Weegee’s images reveal an unflinching image of life in the city that is often violent and distressing. Yet he also captured the carefree attitude of New York society life between the wars.

Billie Dauscha and Mabel Sidney (r), Bowery Entertainers, December 4, 1944

Weegee used the basic press photographer equipment of the time, which was a Graflek camera and blue flashbulbs, which give his work its stark graphic quality. He would develop his images via a makeshift darkroom in the trunk of his car, allowing him to deliver his freelance shots to the newspapers as quickly as possible.

Max is rushing in the mornings bagels to a restaurant on 2nd Ave for the Morning trade c. 1940

Out of the River, February 24, 1942

Weegee: It’s A Crime To Take Photographs This Good… will be on show at Michael Hoppen Gallery until January 9, 2010. More info is here.

In our third installment of Unclutterer’s 2009 Holiday Gift Giving Guide we’re discussing gifts of knowledge.

Does someone in your life love to learn? If so, consider the following options as uncluttered gifts this holiday season:

• Give a classic digital education. The History of the English Language, Physics, and Calculus are just three of hundreds of courses offered digitally by The Teaching Company. Lectures from the best professors in the world are perfect for anyone who wishes she paid more attention in high school or college. When I was commuting for an hour a day, Teaching Company courses kept me sane. I greatly enjoyed doing something productive with my time on the road.
• Take a class together. Has your wife been nagging you to go out dancing more often? Register for a ballroom dancing class together and get her a CD of practice music recommended by the instructor or a pair of required shoes to unwrap announcing the gift. Have you and your friends been talking about taking a cooking class together for ages? Sign up for a class at your local culinary school, favorite restaurant (if they do such things) or cooking store and enjoy the time with your pals.
• Give the gift of language. You may not be able to fund an entire vacation to France for someone you love, but you can get him prepared for his dream vacation with French lessons from Rosetta Stone. They’re expensive, but incredibly effective. With more than 30 languages to choose from, you can help your gift recipient experience the world.
• Give the gift of music. Find a local music teacher and pay for someone you love to take music lessons. If you don’t know anyone locally who teaches the instrument or your gift recipient has an already busy schedule, check out sites like Homespun Music Instruction that sell exceptional training DVDs. My husband has the Great Mandolin Lessons DVD and it is phenomenal.
• Fund a semester. If you can swing it, help a student pay for books, housing, or tuition for a semester. The recipient will always remember your generosity.

Have you given an educational gift in the past or are you planning one for this year? Give us your suggestions in the comments. Also, don’t forget to check out our Unclutterer’s 2009 Holiday Gift Giving Guide Index Page for a listing of all the articles as we publish them.

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The table, entitled Wireframe, is made from steel tubes and a medium density fiberboard both powder-coated.

This bookcase is made up of elements that support one another by sheer force of gravity. The weights of the shelves and of the objects placed on them ..