Charles C. Ebbets "Lunch Atop A Skyscraper"
September 29, 1932
5-x7 Glass Plate Camera
This has always been a favorite picture of mine because even though these men are really high up in the air they don't seem to be bothered and look as though they are having a pleasant lunch. I would personally like to join them since I don't have a fear of heights. Although that would be rather difficult since time travel has yet to be invented. Another reason why this is one of my favorites is because it was taken during one of my favorite periods in history, the 30's and the 40's. This picture also gives a sense of carefree feelings. Maybe it's because it's just the start of the Great Depression and these young men still have their jobs. Or it's because most of the men are smiling and talking with each other and they aren't paying attention or posing for the camera giving the sense of a candid camera shot. This picture was taken by Charles C. Ebbets in 1932. His career as a photographer started in the 1920's and he also worked with motion pictures for a while. His most famous pictures however are the pictures of the men in this skyscraper. It must have been quite an ordeal getting his camera equipment up to the workers since this picture was taken with a 5-x7 glass plate camera. These cameras were large and bulky and very fragile due to the fact that the film was a glass plate.
