exciting city life and death

1941 shooting in NYC – photo by Max Peter Haas

Toronto. A news photographer led a hectic and dangerous job at times. We have seen many news photographers in Toronto, including our late editor Bob Lansdale and his wife Margaret. Bob mentioned to me at one time getting a shot of a daring rescue during Hurricane Hazel. He also talked about being in France and covering the young Marilyn Bell’s swim across the channel, amongst other adventures.

The photos here were captured by Max Haas and published in ‘The Short-lived 1940s NYC Tabloid That “Dared to Tell the Truth”’.

Unlike today, in the 1940s a murder in Canada was a rare and forbidding situation.  Not the case in NYC where death on the streets was common place. Weegee made his name capturing NYC criminal night scenes. This sequence by a fellow NYC photographer, Max P Haas, shows the aftermath of a day-time shootout on the streets of New York as shown on many web sites today such as the ICP blog ‘Fans in a Flashbulb‘.

Note: Other than the above note and being an ICP member, I found very little I could use about Mr Haas.

Once again a big thank you to good friend and PHSC member, George Dunbar, for sourcing and sharing this bit of photographic history. George writes, “Amazing spot news photography of crime in New York in 1941. Eighty years later, similar news coverage would likely appear within minutes on TV; In full colour video from an amateur’s smartphone.”

PS: Remember to drop by our ESTATE auction next month. We will have lots of cameras and images under the hammer!

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