Berenice Abbott

Changing New York was Abbott's 1930s photographic project documenting New York City's streets, buildings, storefronts, and modernization. It was supported by the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration.

Abbott encountered Eugene Atget's photographs while in Paris and later helped promote and preserve his work. Her advocacy was crucial in making Atget's images of old Paris important to photography history.

Abbott photographed skyscrapers, elevated trains, shops, old houses, bridges, and construction sites. Her 1930s work often contrasts older urban fabric with the rapidly modernizing city.

No, Abbott also made scientific photographs, especially in the mid-20th century. Her science images used photography to explain physical phenomena such as waves, magnetism, and motion.