When you think of photographers, you might think of those who take lovely pictures of nature or people. This is not so for Arthur (Usher) Felig who came to fame thanks to his crime and distortion photos.
He was born on June 12, 1899, in Poland, and his family immigrated to America when he was 11. To help his poor family, he worked in many jobs. As he was assisting a pony ride photographer, he noticed how even poor parents would pay for a photo of their child. This was Felig’s first experience with photography.
He had a rough experience with his father so he ran away at the age of 13 and self-taught himself as a photographer and worked for many newspapers until 1935 when he became a freelance photographer. He took pictures of crime scenes and will often appear at the scene when the police arrive or even before they show up. While many called this a special ability Felig had (which gave the photographer the nickname “Weegee” which is a spin on the word Ouija), it was thanks to a police radio that was installed in his car in 1938. The photo that made him rise to fame was “The Critic” which demonstrated the unfairness in New York. The photo featured a homeless person looking at two rich women. He also took pictures for his distortion series which distorts an image. He wrote several books such as “Naked City,” “Weegee’s People,” and “Naked Hollywood.”
Image Courtesy of the J. Paul Getty Museum
In 1947, he married Margaret Atwood but because of his personality (he had bad hygiene and was always on the lookout for dates with strippers) the two divorced later that year. Felig then met Wilma Wilcox who was more or less his partner. The two never married but Wilcox did move in with him when Felig was diagnosed with diabetes. On December 26, 1968, Arthur Felig died of a heart tumor.
Sources: “Weegee.” International Center of Photography, 20 Apr. 2020, www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/weegee?all%2Fall%2Fall%2Fall%2F1.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Weegee.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 8 June 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Weegee.
“The Critic | 100 Photographs | The Most Influential Images of All Time.” Time, Time, 100photos.time.com/photos/weegee-the-critic.
“Weegee Biography, Life & Quotes.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist/weegee/life-and-legacy/.
