Back in 1957 through 59, I borrowed a Leica IIIc from Shepard Sherbell and took a number of photos of my dancer friend Renee D. Rosenberg of Baltimore, MD. Her name is pronounced “ree-knee”. Most of the shots were in Central Park and along 5th Avenue, but some were in the apartment. One shot may be of interest in particular, of Renee and her sister Judy, a trainer at Pimlico at that time, taken during a visit with Bill and Harriet, her parents.
Here’s another shot, of Renee shopping along 5th Avenue, just outside where I worked as an assistant buyer to Hans Ballin, at Hammacher-Schlemmer’s on 57th Street.
In Central Park, circa 1959, dancing as she had with her friend Chita Rivera, the previous night.
Posing in dance mode at Herbie Hancock’s apartment in spring, 1964.
Posing with my fencing foil, at my Stuyvesant Town apartment, 1958.
Our favorite picnic tree; Renee strikes a sultry pose for the camera.
Near the Central Park Zoo, a favorite hangout of ours and our folk-singing and jazz playing friends. We went there after dance class, on the way to Mama Leone’s.
Central Park, where we used to dance and picnic, circa 1957-59.
The last shot is my personal favorite, taken in summer of 1958 in the eastside uptown apartment. I worked as an usher at the theater just around the corner at the time. She soon moved into the Chelsea Towers apartment with Sammi Claire (Helayne Pacincus) and several other roomies, including Donald Byrd’s current girlfriend, Gaby Martin. It was a wild and crazy scene there of a Sunday morning, with all the boyfriends trying to get a place at the only toaster and tiny coffee pot.
The photo above is Luciana and myself in 1959, at 108th St. in Harlem, where I lived. This is the only surviving photo of me in NYC at this time.
These and other shots are the photos that led to my professional career in photography, and several shots of Renee took prizes along the way. I’m told that Renee passed on November 13, 2011 in Kingston, NY. I’m hoping that her friends and relatives will enjoy the photos I’ve posted in her memory.
See You At The Top!!!
gorby