Myself seen by William Burroughs, Kodak Retina new-bought 2’d hand from Bowery hock-shop, our apartment roof Lower East Side between Avenues B & C, Tompkins Park trees under new antennae. Alan Ansen, Gregory Corso & Jack Kerouac visited, Jack’s The Subterraneans records much of the scene, Burroughs & I edited letter-manuscripts he’d sent from Mexico & South America, Alene Lee (“Mardou Fox” of The Subterraneans) typed final drafts. Neighborhood was heavily Polish & Ukranian, some artists, junkies, medical students, cheap restaurants like “Leshkos” corner 7th & A, rent was only ¼ of my monthly $120 wage as newspaper copyboy. Time of “The Green Automobile” poem to Cassady, Fall 1953.

1953, printed 1995

Allen Ginsberg

Associated Names
Allen Ginsberg

Artist, American, 1926 - 1997

The image shows a man from the waist up, standing on a rooftop. He is slightly leaning forward with one hand resting on the railing. The man has short, dark hair and is wearing dark-framed glasses. He has a neutral expression on his face. He is dressed in a light-colored, long-sleeved button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. On his wrist, he is wearing a watch. Surrounding him are various rooftop structures including antennas, and behind him, there is the skyline of a city with several spires and tall buildings in the distance. The lower portion of the image contains handwritten notes.
This object’s media is not available for download. Contact us about image usage.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Gary S. Davis

  • Dimensions

    image: 28.58 x 43.82 cm (11 1/4 x 17 1/4 in.)
    sheet: 40.5 x 50.5 cm (15 15/16 x 19 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2009.108.1

  • Copyright

    Copyright (c) 2010 The Allen Ginsberg LLC. All rights reserved.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Allen Ginsberg Estate; Ellen and Gary Davis, Greenwich, CT (through Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York); gift to NGA, 2009.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2010

  • Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg, National Gallery of Art, Washington; National Gallery of Art, Washington; Grey Art Gallery & Study Center, New York University, New York; The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, 2010 - 2013, no. 38.

Inscriptions

signed by artist, lower right on sheet in black ink: Allen Ginsberg; artist inscription, across bottom under image: Myself seen by William Burroughs, Kodak Retina new-bought 2'd hand from Bowery hock-shop, our apartment roof Lower East Side between Avenues B & C, Tompkins Park trees under new antennas. Alan Ansen, Gregory Corso & Jack Kerouac visited, Jack's The Subterraneans records much of the scene, Burroughs & I edited letter - manuscript he'd sent from Mexico & South America, aileen Lee ("Mardow Fox" of The Subterraneans) typed final drafts. Neighbourhood was heavily Polish & Ukranian, some artists, junkies, medical students, cheap restaurants like "Lashkos" corner 7th & A, rent was only ¼ of my monthly $120 wage as newspaper copyboy. Time of "The Green Automobile" poem to Cassady, Fall 1953.; on verso a stamp of 'Photographed by Allen Ginsberg Copyright 1994 NYC All Rights Reserved Fax 212-675-1686. AG signed NY 1953 2of3, 10/22/95, written in graphite by unknown hand "taken by WS Burroughs."

You may be interested in

Loading Results