The cityscape paintings and documentary photographs of Maurice and Lee Sievan rank among the best representations of New York City at mid-century. Although skyscrapers, subway and el infrastructures, and the visible effects of the Great Depression were dramatically altering the face of the city, the Sievans chose not to depict the city as a world-class curiosity. Instead, his paintings and her photographs conveyed a passion for lesser-known neighborhoods and ordinary New Yorkers going about day-to-day activities. Maurice's lyrical scenes of working-class housing, parked cars, and unremarkable shopping areas in the outlying borough of then-suburban Queens are memorable for their painterly brushwork and moody atmosphere. Lee's photographs of horse-drawn vehicles, trolleys, street urchins, and pedestrians stand out as an illuminated portrait of everyday Manhattan life. This catalog, with its generous selection of color and duotone plates, examines their two careers, which spanned the 30s through the 60s. It also offers a new example of the dynamics of husband-wife artist relationships in the fine tradition of Stieglitz-O'Keeffe and Pollock-Krasner.

Creative Lives: New York Paintings and Photographs

Arts & Photography

Nolan, Leslie

O’Connor, Francis V.

History & Criticism

Museum of the City

Elegant Plate: 3 Centuries of Precious Metals in New York

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Ward, Gerald W.R.

Waters, Deborah Dependahl

McKinsey, Kristan H.

Crafts & Hobbies

Although precious metals have been part of the lives of New Yorkers since the city's founding, until now comparatively little information about them has been available. Consisting of objects made, sold, or owned in New York, the excellent collection at the Museum of the City of New York includes more than 1400 objects of silver and other precious metals, including hollowware, flatware, and jewelry, from the 17th century to the present. Through essays; biographies of craftsmen, designers, and retail firms; and catalog entries, this generously illustrated two-volume set examines the precious metals trades and usage of precious metals artifacts since the third quarter of the 17th century. Entries include photographs of the objects and their marks, with measurements, description, references, accession information, and history. Biographies of craftsmen and firms update and in some cases, correct, existing information.

Elegant Plate: Three Centuries of Precious Metals in New York City (TWO VOLUMES)

Antiques & Collectibles

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Books by Museum of the City