Lunch on a Beam
The Making of an American Photograph
Rockefeller Center archivist Christine Roussel’s engrossing history book elucidates the stories of the men surrounding an iconic image.
During the Great Depression, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., embarked on the construction of Rockefeller Center in New York City, the book notes, to celebrate the country’s spirit and fortitude. On September 20, 1932, eleven ironworkers were eating lunch, smoking cigarettes, and interacting on an I-beam 840 feet above the ground, captured by a vertigo-inducing, magnetic photograph. This book draws on historical archives, interviews, and painstaking research to demystify the stories of these fearless, as-yet-unnamed men, memorialized against a riveting Manhattan skyline.
An illuminating study of the period and the affected lives, the book includes enlightening, often amusing anecdotes, as of contact with artists Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso to create murals inside the main hall. There are startling descriptions of the building’s sway that “averaged over a foot on a normal day.” And the characterizations of those involved are meticulous: John D. Rockefeller, Jr.‘s commitment to philanthropy and civil and workers’ rights is captured, as is the “irrepressible” and inventive nature of publicity director Merle Crowell. Hardworking Native American Kahnawake Mohawk “iron walkers” are celebrated, as are the emphatic families convinced that their kin are among those pictured. Details on symbolic sculptures and artwork are included, as with Atlas, Prometheus, and ironworker limestone statues.
A breathtaking array of complementary black-and-white photographs show men napping on steel beams, holding an American flag superimposed atop the Empire State Building, and standing on their tiptoes absent safety restraints. Attention is also devoted to the fearless photographers who captured such moments.
A gripping ode to history and architecture, Lunch on a Beam is about the various historical figures whom a photograph made representative of American intellectual and physical aptitude.
Reviewed by
Katy Keffer
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
