Iconic Image Was A Publicity Stunt
This photograph of construction workers casually eating their lunch on a skyscraper beam suspended high about Manhattan can lay claim to being one of the 20th century’s most recognizable images. Yet, in the run up to its 80th anniversary today it has emerged that, far from catching the subjects unaware, the image was set up as a publicity shot for Rockefeller Center. The identity of the photographer of “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” is unknown. He or she was among a pack of snappers sent by news agencies to cover the event.
