Samuel Gottscho

I bought this postcard of the Brooklyn Public Library's circulation hall and entrance because I thought the metalwork was cool, and it's a pretty unusual scene for a postcard. After I got it home, I did a little research on Samuel Gottscho (the photographer for this card). Turns out he was a pretty famous interior/architectural photographer during the first half of the 20th century. There is a huge database of his work with photographer William Schleisner at the Library of Congress, and I found out he (or they) shot this in 1941. Most of his work is of New York, and there's a book on it by Donald Albrecht: The Mythic City (2005). Even though it seems Gottscho's work is characterized by bold cityscapes, I like this simple, quiet image. There's something slightly funny about that little desk flanked by huge pillars in the middle of such a large space: the guy looks vulnerable. I'm pretty sure an image like this wouldn't make the cut for Albrecht's book, but I dig.