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    Haberdashery in the open market, Warsaw

    Object Name
    060
    Dateca. 1935-38
    Label Text

    The subject of this unpublished print, a woman operating a haberdashery in the outdoor market of Warsaw, contrasts with many of Vishniac’s well-known images of observant Jewish male shopkeepers, often reproduced with captions describing their empty shelves, lack of customers, and the unbearable effects of the antisemitic boycotts. Here, a self-assured woman fixes her slightly stern gaze directly on the photographer, while an observant man in an adjacent stall tries to make a sale. The stalls and shelves overflow with merchandise, towers of ribbon and a platter of spools perch on the edge of the counter, and a thick band of empty countertop diagonally bisects the picture, creating a thoroughly modern composition.

    Some of Vishniac’s best photographs of women were never published, possibly because Jewish women were not as easily identifiable by their dress as were religious Jewish men. This remarkable portrait, reminiscent of Brassaï’s best work, raises questions about the gendered nature of our understanding of prewar eastern European Jewish life.

    Medium
    Gelatin silver print
    Dimensions
    Image: 7 1/4 x 9 3/8 in. (18.4 x 23.8 cm) Paper: 8 1/8 x 10 in. (20.6 x 25.4 cm)
    Location
    place taken Warsaw, Poland
    Credit Line
    Promised Gift of Mara Vishniac Kohn
    Accession NumberMVK.HGW.626.2008
    Copyright
    © Mara Vishniac Kohn, courtesy International Center of Photography

    For all uses of photographs by Roman Vishniac contact ICP at: vishniac_archive@icp.org.