Construction Workers Lunching on a Crossbeam, 1932
You’re looking at what is quite probably my favorite photograph. I’ve always loved what this picture symbolizes. In the days before OSHA and government safety regulations, there were those who literally risked their lives in this and similar manners on a daily basis in order to build New York City’s skyscrapers. Like these men, their “offices” were hundreds of feet above ground, and working with sphincter-clenching danger was just a cost of doing business. All I know is that if it had been me sitting on that beam, my bowels and my bladder would be empty. Just thinking about it terrifies me.
Every time I look at this picture, I’m filled with amazement and admiration. These men exercised a degree of insouciance and acceptance of danger on a daily basis that cowards like me can only dream of. I may have been able to get out on that beam and sit down, but you would never, EVER, be able to get me to stand up…and I’d also have to change my shorts.
BTW, if anyone ever feels the need to buy me a framed print…well, you know where to find me, right??
