Limelight: A Greenwich Village Photography Gallery and Coffeehouse in the Fiftees : a MemoirIn the late 1950s, Limelight was the busiest coffeehouse in New York and the only photography gallery in the country. This is the story of Helen Gee's efforts to open Limelight and her fight to keep it afloat for seven years. The major figures in photography appear in this story -- Edward Steichen, Robert Frank, W. Eugene Smith, Berenice Abbott, and others -- and so do the big events of the period: the opening of The Family of Man, the publication of The Americans. Gee has her own personal stories as well, raising her Asian American daughter alone, dealing with a landlord with underworld ties, bookies who did business in the hall of her apartment house, and coping with unwelcome advances, quixotic employees, and suicidal photographers.This is also a portrait of a time when Greenwich Village was a center of creative activity, when actors, writers, painters, and photographers were part of a burgeoning coffeehouse scene. Photography as an art form was coming into its own, and Limelight Gallery made history with some seventy shows. The story of its seven years is amusing and heart-breaking, exciting and surprisingly full of adventure. |
Other editions - View all
Limelight: A Greenwich Village Photography Gallery and Coffeehouse in the 1950s Helen Gee No preview available - 2016 |
Limelight: A Greenwich Village Photography Gallery and Coffeehouse in the ... Helen Gee No preview available - 1997 |
Common terms and phrases
Ansel Adams arrived Arthur Lavine artist asked Atget Berenice Abbott bohoes Broadway called camera coffee coffeehouse color cops decided Deschin dollars door editor Edouard Boubat Edward Weston Eugene Smith everything exhibition eyes face Fagan feel felt film friends gallery Georgia O'Keeffe hand heard Helen Gee hoped hundred images Imogen Imogen Cunningham Jerry Jerry Tallmer Kevin kitchen knew Leon Li-lan Limelight Lisette Model living looked married Minor White Modern Art months Museum of Modern never night O'Keeffe painter painting Peggy photographs picked picture portrait prints problems restaurant retouching Robert Frank Rothman seemed Sheinfeld Steichen Stieglitz Street studio talk Tallmer thing thought told Tony took trying turned Village Voice Vinnie waiting waitresses walked Walker Evans wall watched Weegee week woman women worry York young