Mystery in the Sky: A Legendary Photo (Slowly) Gives Up Its Secrets

[billymach4 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close billymach4]

We have all seen this iconic photo. Most people do think it is the Empire State Building. I even thought it was the Chrysler Building. It was actually 30 Rock .

Place your mouse over the right side of the pic to see another rare version of the photo.

Construction workers eat their lunches atop a steel beam 800 feet above ground, at the building site of the RCA Building in Rockefeller Center in New York, Sept. 29, 1932.

Read more: http://lightbox.time.com/2013/09/18/...#ixzz2fIVonDSe

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

Wow! I can't believe the second photo. That is amazing--it's like they looked up and saw me looking at them. Thanks for posting!

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

That's excellent! I don't remember seeing that second one before, and I'd always thought the first was by Lewis Hine. Then again, Hine was photographing adult workers to show that they were "as underprivileged as the kids in the mill", but I'm not convinced all the men in his photos saw themselves that way. Hard to imagine him taking that second shot, though.

There's a modern re-enactment here:

http://bokov.net/pics/photos/lunch-a...-1932-and-2011

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I am not looking!

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

That's excellent! I don't remember seeing that second one before, and I'd always thought the first was by Lewis Hine. Then again, Hine was photographing adult workers to show that they were "as underprivileged as the kids in the mill", but I'm not convinced all the men in his photos saw themselves that way. Hard to imagine him taking that second shot, though.

There's a modern re-enactment here:

http://bokov.net/pics/photos/lunch-a...-1932-and-2011

Brave men in London too!

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

I am not looking!

It's okay, Frank. None of them fell off!

[Ireland's Call Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ireland's Call]

Story received widespread publicity here in Ireland earlier this year . They still hope to track all down ,,,,not so difficult nowadays !

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

I had no idea they were Irish. I always thought all the ironworkers were Mohawk and Iroquois--that's the legend.

I just looked it up; they worked on the Empire State Building and others, but there must have been lots of ironworkers all over Manhattan in the 1930s!