Laying the Beams—Empire State Building, 1931
Vintage gelatin silver print
8 × 10 inches
Title and notations in pencil with photographer's stamp on print verso
October 23, 2023
In 1930, Lewis Hine was commissioned by the Empire State Corporation to document the construction of the Empire State Building. Hine's photographs captured the public’s imagination, with his images of death-defying “sky boys”, the steel workers who assembled the building’s steel framework, 1,000 feet above Fifth Avenue. Hine himself is remembered for his own daring on the project, photographing from a specially-designed basket that was suspended in mid-air, high above the streets below.
This striking photo illustrates how Hine was able to contribute to the iconic stature of the building, commemorating the courageous, and now legendary, efforts of the laborers who turned an architectural scheme into a towering marvel, for all to see. Hine composed this scene masterfully, setting the workers in bold relief against the very skyline that they are raising to new heights.
