From the colophon of this publication:

Nightview, New York, 1932 by Berenice Abbott has been produced as a dust grain photogravure in an edition of 125 numbered copies, 25 artist proofs, and 25 copies not for sale, which have been reserved for the collaborators and friends of this production. This print has been created in conjunction with the two-volume monograph Berenice Abbott published by Steidl and Commerce Graphics.

The photogravure was made from the original negative by Jon Goodman at his studio in Florence, Massachusetts.  The prints of Abbott’s iconic image have been hand-pulled on Somerset Satin 100% cotton rag paper from St. Cuthbert’s Mill, England by Jon Goodman using ink specially made for this edition. Each print has been embossed with the printer’s mark. The accompanying letterpress folder has been designed and printed by Art Larson at Horton Tank Graphics, Hadley, Massachusetts from type cast by Dan Carr at the Golgonooza Letter Foundry, Hinsdale, New Hampshire. The paper for the folder is Arturo from Cartiera Magnani.

This copper plate photogravure has been made by the Talbot-Klîc method.  Through various steps the image from the original negative has been etched into a copper plate and printed in ink on fine paper on an etching press.

"I took this early in the evening; there was only one time to take it, shortly before Christmas. I started in about 4:30 pm and did not have much time. But I had done a good deal of prior planning on the photograph, going so far as developing a special soft developer for the negative. This is a fifteen minute exposure and I am surprised that the negative is as sharp as it is because these big buildings do sway a bit. I knew I had no opportunity to make multiple exposures because the lights would start to go out shortly after 5pm when the people began to go home, and so it had to be correct on the first try. In this case I was at a window, not at the top of the building; there would have been too much wind outside. It was, of course, hard to get permission. They always thought you wanted to commit suicide and superintendents were always tired, lazy and annoyed."

Berenice Abbott. Berenice Abbott. Volume II. Steidl, 2008. pp. 34

Specifications / Credits

Title: Night-View New York
Artist: Berenice Abbott
Year: 1932 / 2010
Process: Hand-pulled photogravure
Photogravure: Jon Goodman

This print has been produced in conjunction with the two-volume monograph Berenice Abbott published by Steidl and Commerce Gnphics.

Print Size: 18 7/8 x 14 13/16 in
Image Size: 13 x 10 5/16 in
Folio (opened): 30 5/16 x 19 3/16
Edition: 125 numbered copies. 25AP and 25 not-for sale prints.
Collection: Jon Goodman

Berenice Abbott (b. 1898-1991, USA) was an American photographer known for her portraits and documentary photographs, which stressed the communicative, even educational value of the photographic print. She pursued a realistic vision in recording history and her own historical experience to affect change in her audience potentially. Her photographs facilitated the interaction and dialogue between the photographer, the photographic print, and the viewer. Abbott's realist approach to photography stems from her career as a portrait photographer in Paris and the influence of Eugène Atget's photographic realism, whose work she was instrumental in preserving and promoting. After eight years in Paris, Abbott moved to New York in 1929 to document the city's modern transformation. The resulting book Changing New York (1935-1938) received critical acclaim and has continued to resonate to this day.