Allen Ginsberg

The image is a black and white photograph showing a group of seven people inside a bookstore. The shot is framed to show each individual from about the waist up. The persons in the back are standing and there are two seated in the foreground. The person on the far left is an older man with glasses, a bald head, and is wearing a chunky knit cardigan over a dark shirt. Next to him, another man with glasses, slightly curly hair, and wearing an open plaid shirt over a dark undershirt, is holding a book. Beside him, a person with short hair and a collared shirt under a sweater holds onto another book, and to their right, a man with fair hair and a rugged jacket stands. Next, a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a knitted sweater stands with his arms relaxed at his sides. In the foreground, a bearded man with long hair and glasses is seated, wearing a light-colored jacket, and holding papers. Beside him, another man with glasses, gray hair, and a flannel shirt kneels, holding a booklet and a pen. The background is densely packed with bookshelves filled with books and some framed pictures. A small round table with a drinking glass and some more books or papers can be seen in the foreground.

City Lights Bookstore visit—Philip Whalen poet Zen Sensei, anonymous eyeglassed onlooker, Amy and Michael McClure with shopowner poet-painter Laurence Ferlinghetti standing framed in door; below Nanao Sakaki Japonesia’s Bum-Academy longhair poet king, and John Montgomery kneeling beside him, Proud to be Characterized by Jack Kerouac 30 years earlier as a foolish mountaineer in The Dharma Bums. San Francisco, May 22, 1988.

Allen Ginsberg

1988

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2018.196.25

Not on view

The image depicts four individuals in a room. Two women are standing in the foreground - one with short, curly hair in a floral dress and the other with a chin-length bob in a flowery dress. In the background, a man is seated playing a guitar and next to him, another man in a plaid shirt and flat cap is facing away. The room has a refrigerator, a small table with electronic equipment, and is well-lit by natural light from a window on the right.

San Francisco "K." Commune feeds hundreds of homeless folk on Saturdays and their Small Free Inn Band puts on a show, we had a private viewing when visiting Irving Rosenthal & Friends May 23, 1988-- in their vegetarian-grain soup-kitchen, Jimmy Gutierrez in cap watching Jeannie- single hand to heart John O'Brien first time in Curlers, Chandler hand raised in lyric surprise, shadow-eyed Gren behind music stand. "I saw it in a millinery shop-window in 1928... They look like they're made of wax," Harry Smith noticed later.

Allen Ginsberg

1988

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2017.165.24

Not on view

This black-and-white photograph depicts a man and a woman sitting in front of a table in a kitchen. The man in the center has pale, wrinkled skin, short, wavy hair, and a gray beard and mustache. He is wearing a dark sweater, and his arms are crossed as he looks at us with a neutral expression. The woman is in front of him, towards the left. She has pale skin and dark, straight hair with bangs, and she is wearing a light sweater over a collared shirt. The woman is reading from a book or paper, her elbows resting on the table and her mouth slightly open. There are dishes and cups on the table to the left. Kitchen shelves filled with jars and a refrigerator can be seen in the background behind the man. Below the photograph are several lines of text.

Gary Snyder and then-wife Masa Uehara after supper in the Kerosene-lit farmhouse kitchen at “Kitkitdizze” on San Juan Ridge, a Japanese style tile-roofed dwelling in park-like oak and Ponderosa pine woods 3000 feet up on Western slope of California Sierra Mountains, May 30, 1988.

Allen Ginsberg

1988

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2018.196.26

Not on view

The image shows a person behind a stone sculpture of a reclining figure. The person is facing forward, with their hands resting on the sculpture. The person has an elaborate hairstyle, is dressed in a patterned coat with a wide collar, and wears a dark hat. The background consists of stone walls, with a tall candle holder to the right and obscured lettering on the sculpture's surface.

Wavy Gravy & his rubber nose, giant Seva Benefit organized by Ram Dass at Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Manhattan November 26, 1988, seven thousand souls attending, Wavy the M.C. for part of the evening, here in a side chapel south of the altar.

Allen Ginsberg

1988

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2009.103.27

Not on view

The image depicts a seated individual holding a string in a complex pattern with both hands raised. The person has a long beard and shoulder-length hair, wearing large round eyeglasses, a patterned sweater, and a suit jacket. They are seated in an indoor space with a door in the background and bookshelves or similar furnishings out of focus.

Harry Smith, ethnomusicologist & Cat's Cradle string game expert, displaying "cat's whiskers" design. He'd been weakening malnourished in Franciscan shelter on N.Y. Bowery, came here to stay weeks in my apartment, we went together by plane to Naropa Institute Boulder Colorado where he was resident alchemist- philosopher at the Kerouac Poetics school for several years till his last trip back to Manhattan to receive Obie award for life - long preservation of American Folk Music, and death soon after in 1991 at the Chelsea Hotel.

Allen Ginsberg

1988, printed 1995

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2010.137.10

Not on view

The image depicts a man sitting at a table. He is seated with his right elbow on the table, supporting his head with his right hand, while his left hand rests on his knee. The man has a thoughtful expression with curly, thinning hair, wearing a plaid shirt over a darker shirt with rolled-up sleeves. There are a cup and papers or napkins on the table in front of him. In the background, a radiator is visible under a window, with pipes running along the walls.

Robert Frank at his kitchen table, Bleeker Street house, casual visit, November 8, 1988, New York City.

Allen Ginsberg

1988, printed 1990

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2011.146.19

Not on view

The black and white photograph shows a view through a windowsill, with the window frame dividing the view into four panes. The urban landscape outside includes brick buildings with fire escapes, tall buildings, and leafless tree branches. The scene appears to be set in winter or early spring. The emphasis is on the textures of the bricks and tree branches, captured in detail. The monochromatic palette highlights shades of gray and contrasts light and shadow. A newspaper with the headline "The New York Times" is visible below the window. Handwritten text below the image provides context.

“. . . dreaming out the window eat my gruel / as ailanthus trees bud & grow thick green, seaweed in rainy Atlantis, / lose leaves after snowfall, sit bare branched in January’s rusty winds? / Snap photographs focus’d on the clothesline, courtyard chimneypots a block away?” See “May Days 1988,” Cosmopolitan Greetings book. Here new buds of May, raindrops on the clothesline, the picture taken four days after poem was written — Lower East Side N.Y. May 7, 1988.

Allen Ginsberg

1988

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2009.108.7

Not on view

The image depicts a man from just below the waist up, positioned at the center, standing with his arms crossed. He is facing the camera with a slight, relaxed expression. His facial features include a round face, short hair, and a trimmed beard. The hair is dark and slightly tousled. He is wearing a striped button-up shirt over a plain dark T-shirt. The photo appears to be taken on a city street at night, with blurred lights from cars and streetlamps in the background, creating a bokeh effect. The setting suggests an urban environment with some activity and distant silhouettes of people. The image is in black and white, so the colors of the surroundings and his clothing are not discernible.

Ai Wei Wei sometime around Tompkins Square Riots, Police cars by the Park, Avenue A.

Allen Ginsberg

1988

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2011.146.20

Not on view

The image shows an older man with long hair and a full beard, sitting at a table with his arms folded. He is wearing a denim jacket over a patterned shirt. On the table in front of him are a can of Budweiser, a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, a small plate with a tomato, and a folder or pamphlet. The background is blurred and suggests an interior room. Text beneath the image provides context about the person.

Ray Bremser, Jazz-bar sound-poetry genius, syncopating wow-sound word- / walloper, original N.Y. late-1950's Coffeshop bard with Kerouac & LeRoi Jones, his long-ago jail songs were noted by Bob Dylan in The Times They are a Changin'; at kitchen table March 15, 1987, he stayed over to read Poetry and teach my "Literary History of Beat Generation" Class Brooklyn College, come down from A.A. halfway house in Utica N.Y., rare trip to the Apple for survivor w/ big fine beard.

Allen Ginsberg

1987

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2015.163.20

Not on view

The image shows a black and white scene of two individuals in a barbershop. One person is seated and getting a haircut, covered by a cape. The barber, an older man, is standing and cutting the client's hair. The barber has short hair, wears glasses, a suit with a bow tie, and a barber's coat. Around them are various barber tools and products on a counter. The background includes a wall mirror reflecting the shop's interior, framed pictures, and an election poster urging people to vote.

Wade Walton’s barbershop, Clarksdale, Mississippi—Walton an old blues musician, Harry Smith came to record rhythmic clicking of his barber scissors, April 19, 1987

Allen Ginsberg

1987

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2018.196.2

Not on view

The image shows an upper body view of a man standing on a porch. He has his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against a pillar. The man has a distinguished face with sharp facial features, neat hair, and prominent eyebrows. He is dressed in a formal suit with a dress shirt and a tie, and a pocket square is visible in his suit jacket. In the background, there is a yard with trees and foliage, and a small building or shed can be seen through the leaves. The image has a handwritten note at the bottom.

R.D. Laing on his front porch Mapelton Street Boulder Colorado. Then in residence at Naropa Institute he planned voyage on lecture tour, invited me to make usable photo. July 7, 1987.

Allen Ginsberg

1987

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2013.145.13

Not on view

The image shows a man walking on a cobbled street. He is walking towards the camera, with a relaxed posture. He has a slender build, light-colored short hair, a neutral expression, and is wearing a shirt with rolled-up sleeves, white pants, and carrying a camera. The background includes residential structures, a utility pole with power lines, a child walking away from the camera on the right, and another child standing on the right side of the street. The scene suggests a quiet neighborhood with greenery and houses lining the road.

Joe Richey walking down main street of Bluefields, Nicaragua's East coast port, January 29, 1987, we were hosted by Sandinista poet Carlos Rigby

Allen Ginsberg

1987

Gelatin silver print Accession ID 2010.106.1

Not on view

Allen Ginsberg

Gary Snyder and then-wife Masa Uehara after supper in the Kerosene-lit farmhouse kitchen at “Kitkitdizze” on San Juan Ridge, a Japanese style tile-roofed dwelling in park-like oak and Ponderosa pine woods 3000 feet up on Western slope of California Sierra Mountains, May 30, 1988.

Gary Snyder and then-wife Masa Uehara after supper in the Kerosene-lit farmhouse kitchen at “Kitkitdizze” on San Juan Ridge, a Japanese style tile-roofed dwelling in park-like oak and Ponderosa pine woods 3000 feet up on Western slope of California Sierra Mountains, May 30, 1988.

Wavy Gravy & his rubber nose, giant Seva Benefit organized by Ram Dass at Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Manhattan November 26, 1988, seven thousand souls attending, Wavy the M.C. for part of the evening, here in a side chapel south of the altar.

Wavy Gravy & his rubber nose, giant Seva Benefit organized by Ram Dass at Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Manhattan November 26, 1988, seven thousand souls attending, Wavy the M.C. for part of the evening, here in a side chapel south of the altar.

Robert Frank at his kitchen table, Bleeker Street house, casual visit, November 8, 1988, New York City.

Robert Frank at his kitchen table, Bleeker Street house, casual visit, November 8, 1988, New York City.

Ai Wei Wei sometime around Tompkins Square Riots, Police cars by the Park, Avenue A.

Ai Wei Wei sometime around Tompkins Square Riots, Police cars by the Park, Avenue A.

Wade Walton’s barbershop, Clarksdale, Mississippi—Walton an old blues musician, Harry Smith came to record rhythmic clicking of his barber scissors, April 19, 1987

Wade Walton’s barbershop, Clarksdale, Mississippi—Walton an old blues musician, Harry Smith came to record rhythmic clicking of his barber scissors, April 19, 1987

R.D. Laing on his front porch Mapelton Street Boulder Colorado. Then in residence at Naropa Institute he planned voyage on lecture tour, invited me to make usable photo. July 7, 1987.

R.D. Laing on his front porch Mapelton Street Boulder Colorado. Then in residence at Naropa Institute he planned voyage on lecture tour, invited me to make usable photo. July 7, 1987.

Joe Richey walking down main street of Bluefields, Nicaragua's East coast port, January 29, 1987, we were hosted by Sandinista poet Carlos Rigby

Joe Richey walking down main street of Bluefields, Nicaragua's East coast port, January 29, 1987, we were hosted by Sandinista poet Carlos Rigby

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