Schicksalstag

Twenty years ago today, the fall of the Berlin Wall opened the way to German reunification and contributed to the eventual fall of the Soviet Union. While the political legacy of these events is still contentious, few mourn the physical presence of the wall that divided families and scarred the urban landscape of Berlin for 28 years.

Associated Press, [East German soldier jumping barbed wire barricade to freedom as he defects from East Berlin], 1961

Bild Zeitung, [East German police lifting corpse of 18-year old Peter Fechter across barbed wire after they shot him as he attempted to cross over the Berlin Wall. He was left near the wall for 50 minutes screaming for help before he died], August 17, 1962

Henri Cartier-Bresson, The construction of the Berlin Wall, 1962

 

Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Berlin Wall, 1962

Henri Cartier-Bresson, The Berlin Wall, 1962

Alfred Eisenstaedt, Luckauerstrasse, West Berlin, September 1979

Life on Ice

Alfred Eisenstaedt, Headwaiter Renée Breguet of Grand Hotel St. Moritz serving cocktails on ice rink, 1932

Martin Munkacsi, [Figure skater], ca. 1930

It’s time to lace up your skates. The Pond at Bryant Park opens today! You can also skate the day away at Rockefeller Center, Central Park (north and south), Chelsea Piers, and Prospect Park.

 

Fabulous Furs

Leon Levinstein, [Man in suit, woman in fur coat], 1954

Alfred Eisenstaedt, A New York vacationer in Miami Beach, 1940

Weegee, “Fire on Fifth Avenue,” February 17, 1941

Tennis anyone?

Alfred Eisenstaedt, Fall, shadows grow longer, 1927

Flushing Meadows, New York will welcome tennis fans in droves as they descend on the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in mid-August for the U.S. Open.  The U.S. Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam of the Year, with the first set of matches commencing on August 31.  The tournament will end on September 13 with both its Women’s and Men’s Final having been played on the court of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Visit the U.S. Open’s website for  tickets and schedules.

Puppets for Christmas

Alfred Eisenstaedt
Children Watching the Story of “Saint George and the Dragon” at the Puppet Theater in the Tuileries, Paris, 1963

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater is legendary: Mr. Baker played at Liza Minnelli’s fourth birthday party and participated in the 1954 movie A Star Is Born, starring Judy Garland. Today, the financial crisis has left the future of his theater uncertain. Looking at Eisenstaedt’s image of excited Paris schoolchildren, one can’t help but hope that marionette theater survives.