Weegee

Arthur Fellig took the name Weegee as an alternative spelling of the mystical board game Ouija. His pseudonym is certainly fitting for the weird journalistic photographs he is known for. The name also refers to his uncanny ability to be at the right time and the right place to capture fires and police scenes. You can listen to an interview with the artist to learn more about his work at the audio library Sound Portraits.

Weegee’s work is noirish, to say the least, and has influenced many filmmakers. French director Jules Dassin was inspired by the photographer’s first book of crime photographs, The Naked City, and made a gritty mystery of the same name. Check out the film’s IMBD page to view a trailer.

Weegee continued his Hollywood career as a consultant for many films including the Kubrick classic, Dr. Strangelove, or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. It is said that Peter Sellers modeled the accent of the title character off Weegee’s own voice. You can compare this clip to the Sound Portraits interview to decide for yourself.

The International Center of Photography has an extensive Weegee collection and has put together two recent exhibits on his work. In 2006, they assembled a show of “Unknown Weegee.” It appeared ten years after a full retrospective, “Weegee’s World,” which provided a biographical portrait of the artist, dividing his photographs between neighborhoods and locations in New York City. You can view both exhibits at the museum’s Web site.

Weegee’s preferred camera was a 4X5 Graflex Speed Graphic. Youcan learn about its history at the Graflex Web site.

While Weegee used a traditional press camera, he used a less traditional dark room––the back of his car––to get his photos printed as quickly as possible. You can read about his unconventional methods through the Temple University photography project.