“Photography’s self-nominated genius at his portable office…”

Weegee The Famous, 1977

Unidentified magazine, ca. 1943

The myth that Weegee had a darkroom in the trunk of his car probably began in 1977 with the publication of Weegee the Famous: “Weegee, 1942. He used the trunk of his Chevrolet as a darkroom.”
If one looks closely at the photo, it resembles an office, not a darkroom. From a magazine, published around 1943: “Photography’s self-nominated genius at his portable office, typing captions at two A.M.” Many of the titles and dates in Weegee the Famous are not accurate. We think the magazine from the early 1940s is accurate: “Photography’s self-nominated genius at his portable office, typing captions at two A.M.”

Naked City, 1945