Provenance

Gary S. Davis

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Allen Ginsberg, Robert LaVigne, Painter friend of Poets, visiting 1010 Montgomery Street – see Kerouac's portrait of LaVigne as “Levesque” in <em>Desolation Angels</em>, “Robert Browning” in Big Sur. We’d all lived together on Gough Street &amp; later Hotel Weatley thou Peter &amp; I moved to Montgomery Street North Beach, where I wrote <em>Howl</em> in this room, S.F. 1955, 1955, printed later, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary Davis, 2012.118.50

Robert LaVigne, Painter friend of Poets, visiting 1010 Montgomery Street – see Kerouac's portrait of LaVigne as “Levesque” in Desolation Angels, “Robert Browning” in Big Sur. We’d all lived together on Gough Street & later Hotel Weatley thou Peter & I moved to Montgomery Street North Beach, where I wrote Howl in this room, S.F. 1955

Allen Ginsberg · 1955, printed later · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2012.118.50

Allen Ginsberg, Dorothy Norman recovering from broken leg, her house Easthampton July 7, 1985 - we'd met in late 1950s, I'd known her as editor of Civil-libertarian 1930s <em>Twice a Year</em> journal - same decade she'd been Alfred Stieglitz’s love, he'd photographed her hands in this mudra 1932., 1985, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary S. Davis, 2010.137.11

Dorothy Norman recovering from broken leg, her house Easthampton July 7, 1985 - we'd met in late 1950s, I'd known her as editor of Civil-libertarian 1930s Twice a Year journal - same decade she'd been Alfred Stieglitz’s love, he'd photographed her hands in this mudra 1932.

Allen Ginsberg · 1985 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2010.137.11

Allen Ginsberg, Herbert E. Huncke age 69 retired from the street on methadone program, head tilted wise-eyed for wry conversation, about to say something charming, flattering or honest at the kitchen table New York March 1984., 1984, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary Davis, 2012.118.65

Herbert E. Huncke age 69 retired from the street on methadone program, head tilted wise-eyed for wry conversation, about to say something charming, flattering or honest at the kitchen table New York March 1984.

Allen Ginsberg · 1984 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2012.118.65

Allen Ginsberg, Center, John Cage, Merce Cunningham conscious &amp; Jasper Johns hand clasped at Academy induction ceremonial meeting, May 17, 1989., 1989, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary S. Davis, 2008.131.23

Center, John Cage, Merce Cunningham conscious & Jasper Johns hand clasped at Academy induction ceremonial meeting, May 17, 1989.

Allen Ginsberg · 1989 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2008.131.23

Allen Ginsberg, Bowery Gallery 121 Wooster St., Simon Carr’s opening, Rosebud Pettet &amp; Lucien Carr., 1989, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary Davis, 2018.196.3

Bowery Gallery 121 Wooster St., Simon Carr’s opening, Rosebud Pettet & Lucien Carr.

Allen Ginsberg · 1989 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2018.196.3

Allen Ginsberg, “Now Jack as I warned you far back as 1945, if you keep going home to live with your ‘Memère’ you’ll find yourself wound tighter and tighter in her apron strings till you’re an old man and can’t escape…” William Seward Burroughs camping as an André Gideian sophisticate lecturing the earnest Thomas Wolfean All-American youth Jack Kerouac who listens soberly dead-pan to “the most intelligent man in America” for a funny second’s charade in my living room 206 East 7th Street Apt 16, Manhattan, one evening Fall 1953., 1953, printed later, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary S. Davis, 2009.103.8

“Now Jack as I warned you far back as 1945, if you keep going home to live with your ‘Memère’ you’ll find yourself wound tighter and tighter in her apron strings till you’re an old man and can’t escape…” William Seward Burroughs camping as an André Gideian sophisticate lecturing the earnest Thomas Wolfean All-American youth Jack Kerouac who listens soberly dead-pan to “the most intelligent man in America” for a funny second’s charade in my living room 206 East 7th Street Apt 16, Manhattan, one evening Fall 1953.

Allen Ginsberg · 1953, printed later · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2009.103.8

A young couple embrace under a movie theater marquee on a busy city street in this almost square black and white photograph. They are both pale-skinned with short, curly hair. The man is angled to our right while the woman faces him so we see her in profile. They both laugh as he holds her close with his left arm, on our right, draped across her shoulders. The man wears a white T-shirt under a loose blazer and baggy pants. The woman wears a loose-fitting, knee-length coat, and the hand we can see is in the pocket. The street stretches behind them and to our left, and people walk in both directions. The pedestrians wear similar clothing except for three sailors in the distance who stand out because of their white caps. Two young men stand near the couple examining the posters outside the theater, and a man in a coat and hat walks toward them from the right. Storefront signs extend from buildings lining the street, and a rolled-up awning close to us advertises a jewelry and watchmaking store. The marquee over their heads reads, “3 Complete Features: Marlon Brando, ‘The Wild One,’ ‘Stranger Wore Gun,’ and ‘Tarzan the Ape Man.’” The artist wrote a long caption in round cursive under the image. It reads, “Neal Cassady and his love of that year the star-cross'd Natalie Jackson conscious of their rôles in Market Street Eternity: Cassady had been prototype for Jack Kerouac's 1950 On the Road saga hero Dean Moriarty, as later in 1960's he'd taken the driver's wheel of Ken Kesey's psychedelic-era day-glo painted merry prankster crosscountry bus ‘Further.’ Neal's illuminated American automobile mania, ‘unspeakably enthusiastic’ friendship & erotic energy had already written his name in bright-lit signs of our literary imaginations before movies were made imitating his charm. That's why we stopped under the marquee to fix the passing hand on the watch, San Francisco, maybe March 1955. Allen Ginsberg.”
Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady and his love of that year the star-cross’d Natalie Jackson conscious of their rôles in Market Street Eternity: Cassady had been prototype for Jack Kerouac’s 1950 <em>On the Road</em> saga hero Dean Moriarty, as later in 1960’s he’d taken the driver’s wheel of Ken Kesey’s psychedelic-era day-glo painted Merry Prankster crosscountry bus “Further.” Neal’s illuminated American automobile mania, “unspeakably enthusiastic” friendship &amp; erotic energy had already written his name in brightlit signs of our literary imaginations before movies were made imitating his charm. That’s why we stopped under the marquee to fix the passing hand on the watch, San Francisco, maybe March 1955., 1955, printed 1996, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary S. Davis, 2009.103.10

Neal Cassady and his love of that year the star-cross’d Natalie Jackson conscious of their rôles in Market Street Eternity: Cassady had been prototype for Jack Kerouac’s 1950 On the Road saga hero Dean Moriarty, as later in 1960’s he’d taken the driver’s wheel of Ken Kesey’s psychedelic-era day-glo painted Merry Prankster crosscountry bus “Further.” Neal’s illuminated American automobile mania, “unspeakably enthusiastic” friendship & erotic energy had already written his name in brightlit signs of our literary imaginations before movies were made imitating his charm. That’s why we stopped under the marquee to fix the passing hand on the watch, San Francisco, maybe March 1955.

Allen Ginsberg · 1955, printed 1996 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2009.103.10

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Open Market, Beijing, China, 1948, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary Davis, 2012.118.29

Open Market, Beijing, China

Henri Cartier-Bresson · 1948 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2012.118.29

An emaciated, bald man lies propped up in a hospital bed in this horizontally oriented black and white photograph. His body is to our left, and he turns to look at us, propped on a pillow on the raised head of the bed. His eyes are sunken, and his hands are curled in loose claws. He wears a polka-dotted hospital gown, and his lower body is covered by a crumpled white sheet. His arms lie on the sheet with rows of white tape holding tubes in place and a long tube runs into his nose. An IV pole with a plastic tube hanging from it extends the height of the image near the right edge, while a cart holding a bottle and another object with a bulbous top stands by to the wall beyond his bed. A white jug is hooked over the bed railing on that side. The artist has written in script underneath the image, “Living Theater genius Julian Beck 48th Street New York hospital room, his stomach-abdomen lining cancer allowed remission for the next year while he made films & video & theater & books from Zurich to Miami; ‘Death is the ultimate corruption,’ he announced, that day I visited, Medical Arts Center, May 1984. Allen Ginsberg.”
Allen Ginsberg, Living Theater genius Julian Beck 48th Street New York hospital room, his stomach-abdomen lining cancer allowed remission for the next year while he made films &amp; video &amp; theater &amp; books from Zurich to Miami; “Death is the ultimate corruption,” he announced, that day I visited, Medical Arts Center, May 1984., 1984, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary Davis, 2012.118.66

Living Theater genius Julian Beck 48th Street New York hospital room, his stomach-abdomen lining cancer allowed remission for the next year while he made films & video & theater & books from Zurich to Miami; “Death is the ultimate corruption,” he announced, that day I visited, Medical Arts Center, May 1984.

Allen Ginsberg · 1984 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2012.118.66

Allen Ginsberg, Wade Walton’s barbershop, Clarksdale, Mississippi—Walton an old blues musician, Harry Smith came to record rhythmic clicking of his barber scissors, April 19, 1987, 1987, gelatin silver print, Gift of Gary Davis, 2018.196.2

Wade Walton’s barbershop, Clarksdale, Mississippi—Walton an old blues musician, Harry Smith came to record rhythmic clicking of his barber scissors, April 19, 1987

Allen Ginsberg · 1987 · gelatin silver print ·  Accession ID  2018.196.2