Lunch on a Beam - by Christine Roussel (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The untold story of the many people behind one of America's most iconic photographs.

Lunch on a Beam, also known as Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, shows ironworkers eating lunch on a steel beam during the construction of Rockefeller Center's RCA Building in 1932. It's a photo so famous you can likely picture it in your mind: seated in a row, eleven men chat and break bread 850 feet above the ground, the dense cityscape behind them. While the scene may look spontaneous, the photo was taken during a publicity shoot to promote Rockefeller Center's new skyscraper. And despite the image's renown, for years, little information was available about its subjects or its photographer.

In Lunch on a Beam, Rockefeller Center archivist Christine Roussel interweaves the art, architectural, and social history behind the photograph with her personal experience as a confidante to the financiers who developed Rockefeller Center. She tells the stories of the fearless photographers, brazen publicity men, the ironworkers, and their immigrant and Indigenous communities. This portrait of eleven construction workers, she points out, is also a celebration of the nation's richest man. She examines how, in the depths of the Great Depression, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., took it upon himself to build a monument to American industry and sell it to the public.

Featuring striking images from the Rockefeller Center Archives, Lunch on a Beam calls attention to the fascinating paradoxes contained in a single photo and celebrates the men who built an architectural marvel at great personal risk. This is a story of art and commerce, and the role of a photograph in the mythmaking of New York City.

Review Quotes

"Drawing on deep historical knowledge, with unparalleled access to archival documents and photographs, Roussel has shed new light not just on a world-famous photo but on a fascinating era and cast of characters."--William Bartlett, author of "NBC and 30 Rock: A View from Inside"

"I thought no one could love Rockefeller Center as much as I do, but Roussel is the new champion. Her feeling for the place, present on every page of this singular book, would be enough--but she amplifies it with extraordinary research that has enabled her to make this celebrated photograph human, and realistic, and even more captivating than before."--Daniel Okrent, author of "Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center"

"Roussel has written a serious insider's account of Rockefeller Center that is also a delight to read. Although she worked directly with Nelson Rockefeller, she emphasizes the construction workers, casually lunching--even napping--on a beam high above the sidewalk, risking death to build the city's trademark skyscrapers."--Carol Krinsky, author of "Rockefeller Center"

"A lavishly illustrated book brings a famous photo into sharp historical focus."-- "Kirkus"

About the Author

Christine Roussel is the archivist of the Rockefeller Center Archive. Previously, she worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as director of the reproductions studio and special assistant to the director. She also advised Vice President Nelson Rockefeller on his art collection and founded C. Roussel Inc., which specializes in art conservation. Her books include The Art of Rockefeller Center and The Guide to the Art of Rockefeller Center. She lives in New York City.