Art of the Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge is a pre-eminent global icon. It is the world's most famous and beloved bridge, a "must-see" tourist hotspot, and a vital fact of New York life. For almost a hundred and forty years it has inspired artists of all descriptions, fueling a constant stream of paintings, photographs, lithographs, etchings, advertising copy, movies, and book, magazine, and LP covers. In consequence, the bridge may have the richest visual history of any man-made object, so much so, in fact, that almost no major American artist has failed to pay homage to the span in some form or other. Oddly, however, there are no books currently available that chart and discuss the bridge's visual history or its role in the development of American (or Western) art. This monograph aims to correct that, providing a full visual record of the bridge from the origins of its conception to the present day. It is a celebration of the bridge's glorious visual heritage timed to appear when the city will celebrate the span's 125th birthday.

Richard Haw is the author of The Brooklyn Bridge: A Cultural History (2005). He teaches English and Interdisciplinary Studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. A native of Leeds in the U.K., he now lives in Brooklyn, a short walk away from his favorite bridge.

Prologue: Crank, Crackpot, and Creative Genius: Plans to Bridge the East River (1800-1867) 1 1. Construction, Completion, and Panic (1867-1883) 26 2. Spectacle and Show (1883-1911) 61 3. Modernism Takes Command (1912-1929) 95 4. Depression and Recovery (1929-1945) 122 5. Evolution and Explosion (1946-1982) 153 6. Commemoration and the Contemporary Era (1983-2008) 184