Anna Winand, former Cornell Capa’s assistant at The International Center of Photography in New York, digs into the institution archives and unearths great memories.
In 1981, curator and writer on photography William Ewing was working on an exhibition of American photographer Berenice Abbott’s work and he and Jackie Kennedy-Onassis travelled to Maine (USA) to visit Berenice. I smile at their “cavorting” in the woods, as Bill told me, in pursuit of Berenice. “Oh Bill this is such fun!”
“Was this real or had I made it up”, I asked Bill. He replied: “Story not made up… the part I’ll never forget is her suddenly asking the driver to stop the car to have a pee. The car was a clapped-out thing, driven by photographer Hank O’Neal, and we were in the middle of nowhere. He spotted a rickety looking gas station, really just a house with gas pumps, a mom and pop affair, and swerved up. Jackie jumped out and rushed up to the old man rocking on a chair on the porch and asked to use the toilet. I was looking out the window at the man’s reaction, and he was speechless… he simply pointed towards the side of the house, never stopping his rocking. Jackie raced back, and as we sped away kicking up the dust, I saw the ‘mom’ side of the relationship (I assumed) come out of the house staring at us… I could only imagine their conversation. ‘That looked like…’ ‘It couldn’t be…’ “
When Berenice Abbott later came to New York to lecture at International Center of Photography we arranged for her to stay at the Stanhope Hotel. The night of her lecture, Cornell Capa asked author Richard Whelan and me to take a cab to pick her up for the ride to ICP. I balked, saying Richard could do this alone. Cornell said I had to go with him; that was an order. Once we were in the cab, with Berenice sitting up front next to the driver, Richard mentioned that he did Yoga. Yoga! Berenice demanded to be returned to the Stanhope, she didn’t associate with people who did Yoga! I insisted we be taken to 94th Street, Berenice insisted she be taken back to the hotel. With the driver not knowing what to do and after much back and forth, a silent Richard, and Jackie patiently waiting in the audience, we made it to ICP where Berenice did give her lecture.
All of which reminds me of a Gordon Parks story. He and his second wife Jean (third if you count his two marriages to his first wife) were driving in Connecticut looking for the home of a friend. It was late, it was dark, they were lost. There was a house in view and they decided to knock on the door to ask for directions. Jean said she should go alone as Gordon being black might alarm anyone opening the door. Forget that. Gordon and Jean went to the house, rang the bell. A woman opened the door, glanced at Jean and Gordon, and called over her shoulder: “Hey, Jack, we have guests, Gordon Parks is here.”
Anna Winand
