Practical Photography

Photo’s taken by iconic photographer Weegee, aka Arthur Fellig, have been discovered in and old Trunk in Kentucky and have been bought by the Indianapolis Museum of Art for a whopping $500,000.

Weegee aquired his nickname from spookily predicting the whereabouts of a murder before even the police and arriving to take what are now thought of as iconic pictures. Weegee died in 1968 and devoted a lifetime to capturing the dark underbelly of New York in stark Black and White photography, capturing sleazy clubs late at night and Murder scenes.

210 Photographs and 100 letters thought to have belonged to Weegee’s partner Wilma Wilcox were found at a Farmhouse sale in Kentucky at the bottom of a trunk by two ladies 5 years ago. It is a mystery how these items got there but the IMA have since aquired these artifacts for £500,000.

The Trunk contained images spanning throughout his new york career, postcards, letters, press passes and even Weegee’s social security card. Weegee photographed many style icons such as Marylin Monroe, Bette Davis and Elizabeth Taylor, and was famous for intentionally distorting the images of such beautiful women.