By Jordan Heller
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — From 19th-century photojournalist Jacob Riis to modern-day art star Ryan McGinley, New York City has served as muse, inspiration and subject for scores of photographers since the invention of the camera in the mid 1800s.
Riis and McGinley are among the more than 150 photographers included in "New York: Portrait of a City" — a new book which will be released by Taschen this Tuesday and will have its official launch at 107 Greene St. in SoHo Wednesday night.
The book is a celebration of those photographers who have dedicated themselves to the city, but also serves as a visual history of what many refer to as the Capital of the World.
"We chose images that contributed to the unfolding narrative of the city from the mid-19th century to the present day, and conveyed New York's soul, intensity, and magnificence," Reuel Golden, the author, editor and photo editor of the book, told DNAinfo.
A range of styles and images take the viewer through the crowded streets of the Lower East Side circa 1900, to the hedonism of the Jazz Age, to the excess of the Disco era and the aftermath of 9/11.
When asked what image from the book he feels is most "New York," Golden chose a bustling subway shot by photographer Esther Bubly from 1951.
"The image of people getting on the el train is a classic New York photo," said Golden. "It beautifully conveys a crowded city in constant motion, people trying to get to somewhere fast, its diversity, its subtly and its tolerance as well."
