One black and white photography magazine, Monovisions, just captured the coolest of cool: Bohemian Greenwich Village in the 1910s and ’20s. A collection of pictures taken by American photojournalist Jessie Tarbox Beals just made our hit list, displaying hip shops and radical ladies exposing their ankles (and maybe more). If you’re curious, look on at the wonderous moments from life before beards, flannels, and, dare I say it, the internet took over the neighborhood.
Here’s what Monovisions had to say:
“Jessie Tarbox Beals (1870 – 1942) was an American photographer, the first published female photojournalist in the United States mostly known for her portraits of places such as Bohemian Greenwich Village.
“Greenwich Village became widely identified as America’s bohemia by the mid-1910s. The radicals who lived in Greenwich Village in the early 20th century rejected traditional structured socialization, preferring instead bohemian informality. Yet they often met in Village hangouts to discuss their ideas about revolution and art. These places, and the individuals that frequented them, earned the Village its reputation as America’s Left Bank and attracted tourists and those who wanted to live the bohemian lifestyle.”
“Allison at her kitchen stove, dying scarves, ca. 1912-1920.”
“Portrait of Jenny Criswell, ca. 1912-1918.”
“Portrait of Dorothy Baxter, ca. 1918-1920.”
“Informal group portrait, ca. 1917-1926.”
“Beals standing in the gallery doorway, 1917.”
“Group portrait, indoors, of people gathered at the Garrett Coffee House, ca. 1912-1917.”
“Informal group portrait of Helen Clarke and an unidentified woman inventorying merchandise, ca. 1917-1927.”
“Edith Hayes Thompson standing in the doorway of Her Shop, ca. 1912-1926.”
“Informal group portrait of ‘Jane and Howard,’ 1917.”
“Joan Schromache and Lin inside their shop, Jolin’s, ca. 1915-1926.”
“Portrait of Miss Povry, ca. 1918-1920.”
“Newton and Mann in their office, ca. 1915-1926.”
“Portrait of an unidentified woman seated on a porch rail, ca. 1918-1920.”
“Portrait of Charlotte Powell standing on a ladder and painting the exterior of The Village Store, Sheridan Square, ca. 1915-1926.”
“Florence Gough and friends and/or patrons inside of her shop, The Paint Box, ca. 1912-1925.”
“Teddy Peck (left) and Romayne Benjamin (right) in their retail shop, The Treasure Box, ca. 1918-1920.”
“Informal group portrait of an unidentified man and woman, ca. 1912-1926.”
“Informal profile-portrait of an unidentified man, ca. 1912-1920.”
Photos via Monovisions
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