When Giants Roamed Manhattan’s Streets—At Least in the Darkroom
Long before Photoshop, New York’s skyline hosted a colossal visitor—thanks to the clever lens of A.B. Phelan. In 1906, Phelan crafted whimsical photomontages featuring an enormous man towering over city landmarks, blending two images to conjure a surreal cityscape.
This playful manipulation wasn’t just a technical feat; it was part of a broader tradition where photographers bent reality for amusement, commentary, or sheer spectacle. Phelan’s giant, caught peering into a subway entrance or struggling to post a letter, hints at the city’s scale and the era’s fascination with illusion.
Photographic trickery has shadowed the medium since its earliest days, with artists using darkroom magic to surprise and delight. Today, these images sit in the Library of Congress, reminders that New York’s wonders aren’t always built of stone and steel—sometimes, they’re stitched together in silver and light.
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