[Signs, New York], 1928–30
Walker Evans (American, 1903–1975)
Gelatin silver print
Artist Biography
Technical Glossary
Walker Evans (American, 1903–1975)
Gelatin silver print
11 1/8 x 7 1/2 in. (28.3 x 19.1 cm)
Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987 (1987.1100.147)
Walker Evans climbed to the roof of the Fisk Building on Central Park South to photograph the web of steel struts and electric signs that were rapidly filling the skies over Manhattan. The electric signs in this photograph alternately flashed the company's name and the names of its two principal products. As there were approximately a hundred million wheels rolling over America's roads in 1928, the sale of tires quickly overtook that of rubber galoshes. The image expresses Evans' conviction that modern art could be timeless yet topical when perfectly wrought of vernacular materials.
