Schoener, Allon (Editor)

The Lower East Side: Immigrant Portal to America from 1875 to 1925

New York, NY: New York State Council on the Arts/ The Jewish Museum, 1971. First Edition. Loose Sheets in Slipcase. "Landing places- Plymouth, Jamestown, New Amsterdam, Philadelphia- symbolize American history. For a period of fifty years, during the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century, New York's Lower East Side was the first America for millions of immigrants. As a portal, the Lower East Side prepared Jews, Italians, Irish, Chinese and Poles for adaptation to American life. Escaping from persecution and economic hardship, a continuous stream of Easter European Jews settled on the Lower East Side and transformed this area of downtown New York- bounded by the Brooklyn Bridge on the south, Fourteenth Street on the north, Broadway on the west and the East River on the east- into their domain...The Lower East Side recalls a wonderfully rich and fruitful period of American history in which millions of Jews came to the United States through a small portal and spread across the entire country making their contributions to the total fabric of American life." (from Introductory Statement by Allon Schoener) An "Exhibit Portfolio" of fifty vintage images depicting the saga of immigration to the USA, processed at Ellis Island & funneled into the teeming Lower East Side, during the key half-century between 1875-1925. Each photograph is beautifully reproduced on a single thick exhibition-quality sheet, with information on the photographer (when available) & source (Library of Congress etc.) printed on verso. With a single folded sheet containing Introduction (quoted above) by Allon Schoener (1926-2021), the esteemed museum curator; along with title & copyright information. On copyright page are these "Suggestions for the use of this exhibit portfolio": "This portfolio can be used to create an exhibit in itself or, if you prefer, as the core of an exhibit to which you can add press clippings, pages from books, your own photographs, statements, drawings, and photographs from other portfolios in this series. You can mix and match text and images from all of these and other sources and arrange them into any number of combinations." Large portfolio in slipcase with printed front & spine panels, first edition, first & only printing (though neither stated as such), one of a series edited by Schoener as noted above. A rare, outstanding & most collectible production, of great interest to devotees of photography, urbanism & Jewish-American history. In fine-verging-on-very-fine condition: Slipcase relatively fine with mild rubbing, browning, faint scratching & occasional spotting, spot-staining at all outer panels; mild wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners. Photograph sheets & title/introductory/copyright sheet all complete & very fine with only a touch of rubbing, browning to surfaces; a bit of edge & corner wear. Fine- Very Fine. [Item #5308]

Price: $100.00