PM, March 2, 1941

Weegee (1899-1968) and Mary Margaret McBride (1899-1976), July 1945

A picture with somebody in it sells better than a picture of a lifeless object. So Weegee sometimes puts himself in his picture-shooting them by “remote control.” Here he is posing as a “curious passerby” looking at the body of a Brooklyn murder victim found in t trunk near the Gowanus Canal.

Weegee makes friends readily. On a Chinatown assignment, he got this New Year’s lucky wish from a Chinese girl. He has a photo of her painting ot pinned above his bed (picture on next page). It is characteristic of him to have his picture taken this way. The cigar is standard equipment.

Weegee’s room shows his devotion to his job. On top of his regular radio is a police short-wave radio and a loudspeaker attached to it dangles over his bed. On the floor are his special “murder shoes” – at left – and his “snow shoes.” He keeps his “fire shoes” in his car. The wall decorations are examples of his work and certificates of awards for prize-winning pictures. The cardboard boxes at the extreme right are his disorderly “files.” The typewriter is his latest acquisition. He has recently taken up writing – a field in which he shows rather starltinh talent. We don’t know what the Flit is for.

PM, March 9, 1941, pp. 50-51

Today we are celebrating the birth of Weegee!