Renowned for his direction of landmark films such as High Noon, From Here to Eternity, Oklahoma!, A Man for All Seasons, and The Day of the Jackal, Fred Zinnemann was an immigrant from Austria. He arrived in New York on October 29, 1929, the day the stock market crashed. Having recently received a diploma from the Technical School of Cinema in Paris, Zinnemann sought to make his mark in film. However, he was denied admission to Hollywood’s cameraman’s union and took up photography as a way of expressing his creativity. He made these photographs during his first year in the United States and also from 1932 when he returned to New York after a disappointing first stay in Hollywood.

Being an immigrant, many of his photographs of New York capture the awe one experiences from the visual shock of the city. Influenced by Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, and Walker Evans, his images combine both the form and subject matter of the “modern” city as well as a cinematic style that evokes the majestic atmosphere of New York. Over time he became very aware of the social implications of the Depression and began focusing on the anguish that resulted.

Until 1989, Zinnemann’s photographs were in a closet, forgotten about. He rediscovered them during a move from California to London and framed several for his office. Someone who had seen them hanging there contacted London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and ultimately, he was given a solo exhibition there in 1992. Later, The Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences exhibited this work from October 1998 through January 1999.