New York City and its inhabitants are very photogenic, and, perhaps more than any other city, its familiar images have dominated the way we feel about it. Steichen 's iconic Flatiron Building, Weegee's street scenes crammed with creatures of the night, and Avedon's Dylans and Marilyns all reveal the city's star quality, its boldness and love of life. It is easy to see why a photographer should be drawn to New York.
In his book, subtitled A Photographic Trip Down New York City Rabbit Holes, Dan Hirshon takes a very different approach. On the one hand, this is a collection of 65 images of the people, architecture, and urban landscape of Manhattan. On the other, it is an imaginative reinterpretation of Alice Adventures in Wonderland! As a photographic record of the city, it stands up very well against its numerous predecessors, surely as a result of Hirshon's approach of not looking for stars and performers, but observing his surroundings as someone thrust into a land of wonder. Each image is accompanied by a quotation from Alice, or, perhaps one should say, each image "illustrates" a piece from the book. These pairing are often done with humor and are always astute, but, most importantly, the images frequently convey the same sense of uncertainty one has when Alice starts to follow the rabbit and peers down the rabbit hole is "illustrated" by dark images of a subway platform inviting, but invoking a feeling of trepidation. Â Alice's joy at finally arriving at the beautiful garden is portrayed with a peaceful image of the Burnett Statue in Central Park, carefully placed to follow the craziness of an image of the Flatiron building and clock. This well-produced book succeeds on many levels and would be appreciated by people of all ages. Â It is a wonderful idea, nicely realized, and it might just change the way we all observe New York.
The book has now gone into a second edition, with a new cover, some different photographs, and a better overall design. Hirshon is keeping the project going with a website (aliceinmanhattan.com) to which he regularly adds new images, and which contains a beautifully made short animation based on the photographs.
Mark Richards, Knight Letter, the magazine of the Lewis Carroll Society of North America (Spring 2016, volume II, issue 26, number 96).