Intro: The Man on Bridge Project
Man on Bridge is a photo collection project that gathers the photos and tells the story of Arthur Fields, a street photographer who captured passersby on Dublin’s O’Connell Bridge from the 1930s to the 1980s.
Arthur took hundreds of thousands of photos throughout his career but no negatives survive. The goal of the project has been to gather these photos from personal collections and create an alternative photographic archive of Dublin city, one that revealed how we lived, and how the city and its people changed over fifty years.
Chapter 1: An introduction to Arthur Fields
Born Abraham Feldman, the son of Jewish emigrants. Died Arthur Fields, street photographer, the man on the bridge and Dublin legend.
Chapter 2: Martin Mooney found a camera
Camera enthusiast Martin Mooney bought a camera and became curious.
Chapter 3: Street photographers and Arthur
Arthur Fields wasn’t the only street photographer on O’Connell Bridge & Street.
Chapter 4: Fashion, changing trends
One of the many things Arthur Fields’s camera captured was changing fashion over fifty years.
Chapter 5: A very photographed man
Arthur Fields became the unofficial family photographer for many, including Kevin Denny, who was a very photographed man.
Chapter 6: Youth culture, Ireland growing up
Arthur Field’s camera became a tool for generations of Irish youngster to express themselves.
Chapter 7: Professional photography & street photography as sin
In Arthur Fields’ day, the photography industry had a class system with Arthur and his street photographer friends being considered on the lowest rung of the ladder.
Chapter 8: The legacy of Arthur Fields
What has Arthur Fields’ achieved and why is he important?