Was it safe to swim in the Hudson River in 1948? Probably not, but that didn’t stop this boy from jumping three stories from a pier while his friends watched from the roof.
It’s a wonderful image captured by photographer Ruth Orkin, perfectly titled “Boy Jumping Into Hudson River.”
Orkin was a commercial photographer and filmmaker who moved to New York in 1943. An archive of her images can be browsed here.
[©estate of Ruth Orkin]
Tags: 1940s photos New York City, Boy Jumping Into Hudson River photo, kids in summer in NYC, New York in summer, Radical Camera exhibit, Ruth Orkin, Street photographers New York City, swimming in the Hudson River
Ephemeral New York 
July 10, 2014 at 6:35 am |
thank you so much! This is my favorite picture ever of New York City!
I jumped from the highest dive in Santa Barbara….and until right now; I thought I was brave!
WOW!!
I was not brave! HE was brave!
Wow!!
July 10, 2014 at 11:00 am |
A great photo. Reminds me of my mom’s stories about diving from piers into the Hudson a bit further up the river. But I never knew till I saw this photo how high up she was diving from. No wonder her mom had a fit!
July 10, 2014 at 3:42 pm |
If kids did this today, their parents would be investigated for neglect.
July 11, 2014 at 3:01 am |
Reblogged this on The Quotidian Hudson and commented:
How could I not reblog this? I have to…