Weegee, Tuesday Morning, Times Square, August 1945 (15627.1993)
Weegee photographed the celebrations that marked the end of the Second World War 70 years ago this week.
On Friday, August 10, 1945 (a few days after the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on Japan), Japan made its first intention to surrender. Weegee photographed the resulting spontaneous and euphoric celebrations in the Garment District.
Weegee, [Celebration in the Garment Center after the Japanese offer to surrender], August 10, 1945 (15619.1993)
Weegee, Celebration in the Garment Center on Japanese offer to surrender, August 10, 1945 (15617.1993)
Weegee wrote on the back of the photo above: “Photo made Friday Aug 10, about 2:20 P.M. on 8th Ave and 35th St. looking north. Celebration in Garment Center, as Japanese offer to surrender.” (This is the closest thing we have to Exif data, it’s rare for prints to have this specificity, it would be a dream come true if all Weegee photos had this type of info written on them.)
Weegee, Garment Center, August 1945 (15614.1993)
On Tuesday, August 14th, after news of Japan’s acceptance of the terms of the Potsdam Declaration reached New York (Wikipedia) and as the 14th turned into the 15th, Weegee photographed the end of World War Two celebrations, perhaps first downtown, in Little Italy and Chinatown, and then concluding in Times Square.
Weegee, [War Over!], August 1945 (15629.1993)
Weegee, Little Bobby De Marco, age 7 months, at Second Ave. and 9th St., East Side, Tuesday night, after 7 PM, August 1945 (15670.1993)
Weegee, Tuesday Morning, Times Square, August 1945 (2095.1993)
Weegee, Everybody’s Happy, August 1945 (15648.1993)
Weegee, [Dog at end of war celebrations], August, 1945 (15615.1993)
Weegee Wednesdays is an occasional series exploring, or just enjoying, the life and work of Weegee.
Tagged: Chinatown, dog, Garment Center, Garment District, New York City, Times Square, Weegee, Weegee Wednesday, World War II, World War Two, WWII
