Archival Views of Budapest

Hero's Square in Budapest, 1939

Hero’s Square in Budapest, 1939

Peeking into the Open Society Archives, there is a fantastic online collection, Fortepan, of amateur Hungarian photography beginning in 1900 and going through 1990. You can search through the years along the timeline, and basic source information is provided where it exists. These glimpses into the past seem all the more fresh because they are amateur photographs. Compare the Hero’s Square above to today’s version, or the current view of Castle Hill from the Chain Bridge.

1945 view toward Castle Hill

1945 view toward Castle Hill

The Rare Graffiti Tree and Other Urban Species from photographer Mitch Epstein

Photographer Mitch Epstein’s work at up Sikkema Jenkins through this past weekend couldn’t come at a better time. Outside, the first really Spring (or perhaps Summer?) weather had set the trees in bloom, and inside Epstein’s homage to New York was similarly alush.

Epstein spent a year photographing the great trees of New York city (as you can see in the detail below NYC boasts the rare urban Graffiti Tree species). The trees, rather than people or buildings, become the focus of the shots.



Unfortunately the trees seem to be trying to kill me right now. All the blooming means seasonal allergies are here, and I am sneezing my head off. Find more information about the show here and more information about Epstein on his website http://www.mitchepstein.net/.