It’s a dark night at this moment in time on the corner of Bleecker and Carmine Streets in 1915.
But there’s warmth and light from the shop windows and the apartments above, which illuminate small groups of Italian immigrants, who had settled into this part of the Village.
Ashcan School artist and Greenwich Villager George Luks is the painter, and he often depicted immigrant crowds on city street corners.
Are we looking at the corner just across from Our Lady of Pompeii Church?
Tags: Bleecker Street, Carmine Street, George Luks, Greenwich Village paintings, Italian Greenwich Village, Italian neighborhoods New York City, New York in 1915, Our Lady of Pompeii church Greenwich Village, the Village in 1915
Ephemeral New York 
April 5, 2013 at 3:22 am |
That location was my immediate thought.
April 5, 2013 at 11:50 am |
What a beautiful painting. In fact, there have been a number of paintings posted on this site that I’ve never seen before. Is this one in a museum or a private collection? At any rate, thanks for sharing!!
April 5, 2013 at 3:32 pm |
Thanks! It’s in the Milwaukee Art Museum:
http://collection.mam.org/details.php?id=15855
April 6, 2013 at 12:41 am
Thank you!
April 5, 2013 at 2:20 pm |
I believe it is that corner where Spaghetto is. Looks like those bricked up windows the corner that are at a 45 degree angle
April 5, 2013 at 9:58 pm |
Yes I know the corner well and can
Confirm it is indeed the northwest corner of bleeker and carmine seen from the southeast corner. Was joes pizza from maybe the fifties to this century. Now some chain pizza if thats still so I’m not sure.
April 7, 2013 at 10:09 pm |
Just visiting the blog for the first time; love your eye for detail and mystery and appreciate your detective work. Great work!
April 7, 2013 at 10:22 pm |
Thank you Doublewhirler. Looking at your lovely photos of Croatia makes me want to hop a plane . . . .
April 8, 2013 at 1:32 pm |
I always wondered about that street and I always try to imagine how it was centuries ago because my father trained me to think that way when traveling or walking on old street. Now you are adding the facts to my imagination. Thanks!
April 8, 2013 at 2:25 pm |
It’s a great Village corner, very recognizable!
April 9, 2013 at 4:52 pm |
I believe Mike has it right which would make it the northeast corner of Carmine and Bleecker. Carmine seems to be sloping down on the right as it descends towards Varick Street.
April 9, 2013 at 11:05 pm |
Has to be southeast, no? Northeast corner of Bleecker and Carmine is Father Demo Park (or Square)
April 10, 2013 at 3:57 pm |
I was wondering if the angled building with the two large lit windows could be on the section of Carmine opposite Fr Demo square. There is a curve on Carmine around there. Also the lit area of the buillding next to the two large windows appears to have 4 columns and there was a church with a pillared portico on Carmine opposite Minetta lane which was replaced by Our Lady of Pompei in 1926. It would make sense to have a large group of people as seen in the picture gathered outside the church maybe after a service.
June 10, 2013 at 4:25 pm |
Can you tell me the very best archive to find images of Green
Village in the 1950? I love your blog.. I would appreciate this GREATLY!
October 11, 2013 at 1:32 am |
[…] favorite part of George Luks’ richly detailed “Street Scene (Hester Street)” are the plucked chickens hanging upside on on the right side of the […]
June 30, 2014 at 5:56 am |
[…] or so years earlier in 1915, Ashcan painter George Luks also took a stab at depicting the shops and crowds in this nighttime view of the opposite corner of Bleecker and Carmine […]
November 2, 2020 at 2:25 am |
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