Thirty-four American photographers capture urban life across America from the turn of the century to the new millennium

Many of the greatest American photographers of the 20th century have the city at the heart of their oeuvre. With their revolutionary photographic perspectives, they captured the pulsating rhythm of urban life that reflected the country’s larger sociopolitical changes. Framed surveys transforming American cities including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more, through the lenses of 34 photographers. Thematic chapters explore various aspects of the metropolis: from a case study on images of Harlem to rough sleeping, highways and city planning. The grand finale is Bruce Davidson’s complete Subway Portfolio (1980), 46 scenes from the New York subway system. An index section includes brief biographies of all featured photographers.

Artists include: Berenice Abbott, Diane Arbus, Bruce Davidson, William Eggleston, Walker Evans, Lee Friedlander, Saul Leiter, Ruth Orkin, Alfred Stieglitz, Garry Winogrand.