At Alice Austen House Museum

My daughter and I enjoyed ourselves thoroughly at the Pug Fest at Alice Austen House Museum last weekend. Not only are we pug fans (and owners) but we are fans of Alice's life work as a pioneering 19th Century photographer. See more about Alice on this blog here and the Alice Austen House Museum website here.

View From Alice Austen House Museum, across The Narrows. Photo ©Liza Cowan

This view across the Narrows would have been very different in Alice's day. But it is still gorgeous. 

Staten Island circa 1900. You can see The Narrows in the upper right.

 

Willa and Saki in the water at Alice Austen House, Staten Island NY. ©Liza Cowan

 

View from Alice Austen House across the water. ©Liza Cowan

Alice Austen In Jeans

At the Alice Austen House Museum, Pug Day. What a beautiful day to be at Clear Comfort, Alice's Staten Island, NY, house on the water. Here, my daughter and I recreate Alice's self portrait with her pug, Punch. I bet Alice would have loved to be able to wear jeans and boots, and keep her hair short. Imagine lugging hundreds of pounds of camera equipment around wearing a corset and  floor length dress. Kudos to Alice for managing so beautifully.

 

Alice Austen and Punch, self portrait. Willa and Saki by Liza Cowan

Evolution of a Billboard: Barneys New York, Helmut Newton and us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week I posted this image of a billboard in progress in Greenwich Village, NYC.  

 Photo ©Liza Cowan 

 

Barneys New York Billboard. Photo ©Penny House

Today my friend Penny sent me this picture of the finished billboard. It's for Barneys New York.

And here's the inspiration for the billboard:

screen capture from wallpaper.com

"Helmut Lang's cast-resin replica of five front-row seats from his final fashion collection are installed in a concrete room in the window of Barneys, replicating the artist's own basement, where the piece has been stored. Flat-panel plaques on the floor display the fashion items the artist selected as highlights of 2009"

 

 

Another day in the city: Nuns,The Missionaries Of Charity.

 

Two nuns crossing 7th Avenue. Photo ©Liza Cowan

Missionaries of Charity Enter Chase Bank. Photo © Liza Cowan

When I started following the sisters it was because I loved the flow of their saris and the way they walked so closely together. When they entered the bank I had to laugh. I'm sure that the Missionaries of  Charity have bank business, but for a brief moment I had a vision of them robbing the joint. You know - to give to the poor. 

Another day in NYC: The King of Thailand and some wooden shoe forms.

More images from around NYC. Wooden shoe molds I saw at Fishes Eddy- a store And a view through a tailor's shop window  to a portrait of of the king of Thailand and spools of thread.

 

Photos ©Liza Cowan.

Flaneur in NYC

Walking around New York City is never dull. I grew up in the city but now I am just another visitor with a camera.

This is my first post via iPad do bear with me as I learn. Always a journey, right?

Billboard in process. NYC, photo ©Liza Cowan

Shop Window. Ralph Lauren, Greenwich Village. photo ©Liza Cowan

Flowers in shop. New York City. Photo ©Liza Cowan