The Lams of Ludlow Street is an in-depth look at a family living in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood. Born to a Chinese mother and an American father, Thomas Holton had close relatives living in Chinatown, but always felt disconnected and perceived as a visitor there. In an attempt to better understand his own Chinese heritage, Holton began photographing the streets and the daily rituals of the neighborhood. However, what began as a more traditional documentary project in the street photography genre developed into a much more intimate exploration of a single family’s life spanning a decade.
« My need to see the Lams regularly moved beyond the desire to make new photographs and became akin to visiting family members
that I cherish. I return out of love and the knowledge that time is fleeting. I just happen to always bring a camera..»
– Thomas Holton
When Holton began to photograph the Lams, he « started to understand the Chinatown family I never had. » The early work explores
their daily lives and surroundings. The project evolved from an emphasis on the family’s physical surroundings to a more nuanced look into their family dynamics and interior lives. In the later works, the unified family Holton had photographed before was broken up physically and emotionally, and the new photographs reflect the changing situation.
BOOK
Thomas Holton, The Lams of Ludlow Street
Texts by Bonnie Yochelson, Charles Traub
Designed by Kehrer Design
Half-cloth hardcover
28 x 22 cm
96 pages
56 color ills.
English
ISBN 978-3-86828-621-2
Euro 39,90 / US$ 50.00 / GBP 30.00
