William Street, Derry, Ireland
Peress's first photographs, which portrayed the aftermath of a labor dispute in a French coal mining town in 1970, marked what has become his lifelong social commitment as a photographer. After joining Magnum Photos, the prestigious agency founded by Robert Capa, he headed to Northern Ireland in 1971 to document the Irish civil rights struggle.
Here, Peress captures a riot on William Street in Derry, a ritual site of confrontation between the Irish and English that would become forever infamous after the events of "Bloody Sunday," January 30, 1972, when British troops sprayed tear gas and opened fire on demonstrators. Through its taut immediacy and powerful sense of the opposition between machine and man, the photograph is an iconic depiction of modern street warfare.
Here, Peress captures a riot on William Street in Derry, a ritual site of confrontation between the Irish and English that would become forever infamous after the events of "Bloody Sunday," January 30, 1972, when British troops sprayed tear gas and opened fire on demonstrators. Through its taut immediacy and powerful sense of the opposition between machine and man, the photograph is an iconic depiction of modern street warfare.
Artwork Details
- Title: William Street, Derry, Ireland
- Artist: Gilles Peress (French, born 1946)
- Date: 1972
- Medium: Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions: 60.6 x 91.2 cm (23 7/8 x 35 15/16 in.)
- Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1992
- Object Number: 1992.5101
- Rights and Reproduction: © Gilles Peress
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Gilles Peress
1981
Gilles Peress
1971
Gilles Peress
1996
Gilles Peress
1994, printed 1997
Gilles Peress
1993, printed 1997
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.