St. Paul’s Cathedral, Alvin Langdon Coburn (1905)

Directly visible in this image are a street, people, smoke and the eponymous cathedral, as well as some other buildings.

This photograph is one example of a recurring theme in Coburn’s work; that is to say the presentation of architecture as meaningful, even ephemeral. The cathedral is shown here in the background, just out of focus, so that it seems to loom like a shadow over the city. In contrast, the smoke of industry is in the foreground in sharp focus. This implies that while the English aspired to lofty Christian ideals, the true impact of their empire was felt via grinding industrialism.

Williamsburg Bridge, Alvin Langdon Coburn (1909)

Directly visible in this image are the silhouettes of people, construction equipment and the Williamsburg Bridge.

Like Coburn’s other architectural photos, we have an architectural achievement in the background, with its negative effects in the foreground. Workers can be seen trudging along, amidst trash and cast off construction tools, in darkness.

1000 Windows, Alvin Langdon Coburn (1912)

Directly visible in the image is a large building. While the general structure is that of a skyscraper, the ornamentation seems to belong more to a Victorian home. 

In a slight departure from his style in previous shots, Coburn did not use juxtaposition in 1000 Windows. Instead, he accentuated the unusual appearance of the building by shooting it from an odd angle, and focusing on the center as opposed to the base or the top.

Flatiron Building, Alvin Langdon Coburn (1912)

Directly visible in the image are a tall building, a street lamp and people walking.

Like 1000 Windows, this image uses angle and focus, rather than juxtaposition, to convey the haunting tone found throughout Coburn’s work. The businessmen in the foreground are small and out of focus in comparison to the tower, looming clearly visible. This contrast gives the impression that the building is some great monolith, ruling over the lives of men.

Cadiz, Alvin Langdon Coburn (1908)

Directly visible are two ships, framed within a mast and sail.

This photograph uses juxtaposition, but in a way unlike the other photos that Coburn was taking at the time. By framing the active sailors and boats within the mast and sail of a boat that is obviously in disrepair and no longer in use, Coburn portrays visually the cycle of creation, usage and destruction, as well as the waste innate in industrialism; this theme ties in to St. Paul’s Cathedral and Williamsburg Bridge.

Alvin Langdon Coburn was one of the first architectural photographers, as well as one of the first to pursue photography as an artist. He rose to fame in the early nineteen-hundreds due to his impressive use of high-angle photography, as well as the powerful symbolism in his photographs.

All photos courtesy of Mastering Photography.