LETTER FROM NEW YORK

PHOTO ESSAY

Shot in the Dark

A new exhibition focuses on the lesser-known photos of the late, great Weegee

By Lauren Mechling
July 26, 2006

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Couple in Voodoo Trance (1956).

Weegee was on his own for most of his life, and lovers held a fascination for him. He would bring an infrared camera to Coney Island to photograph people making love on the beach at night, or to the movies to shoot couples who weren’t paying attention to the feature. He frequented West Village cafés and parties with young people, and he often came home with pictures of couples dancing or kissing. Weegee started getting fan letters and dates after the 1945 publication of his book Naked New York. Ten years later, he married social worker Wilma Wilcox.