Bill Reck in his coldwater flat Lower East Side circa 1953, one of eminent Subterraneans (Vide Frity Nichols); he entered J.K.'s Book of Dreams as Dick Beck. outside his window off Bowery and East 2'd Street, a cemetery, he wrote "Love is a lime green tree," last line of poem looking out

1953, printed later

Allen Ginsberg

Associated Names
Allen Ginsberg

Artist, American, 1926 - 1997

The image shows a man seated, visible from the waist up, positioned facing slightly to the right while looking straight at the camera. His facial features include a slim face and short dark hair that is combed back. He is wearing a white, buttoned-up shirt that appears slightly oversized, and he holds a white mug in his right hand. Around him, there's a cluttered space with an assortment of items including canned goods and containers on a nearby table along with what appears to be an ashtray and additional cans or containers. Behind him is a set of shelves filled with what seems to be bottles and other items. The background has a rough-hewn texture of brickwork and a pipe attached to the wall.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Gary S. Davis

  • Dimensions

    image: 19.4 x 18.3 cm (7 5/8 x 7 3/16 in.)
    sheet: 25.2 x 20.3 cm (9 15/16 x 8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2011.146.6

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Allen Ginsberg Estate; Gary and Ellen Davis, Greenwich, CT; gift to NGA, 2011.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

signed and captioned by artist, across bottom in black ink: Bill Reck in his coldwater flat Lower East Side circa 1953, one / of eminent "Subterraneans" (Vide Frity Nichols); he entered J.K's "Book / of Dreams" as Dick Beck. outside his window off Bowery and East 2'd / Street, a cemetary, he wrote "Love is a lime green," last line of / poem looking out Allen Ginsberg; on verso, by unknown hand, bottom center: GD-AG-234; bottom right: #19/170 / Fall 1953 / [strikethrough] Bk 5 #13B / Neg #5 / GDC-577

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