Charles C. Ebbets took the black and white photograph 'Lunch Atop a Skyscraper' in New York City in 1932. This photo has eleven workers casually eating lunch and smoking cigarettes on a construction beam hundreds of feet in the air. These men were building the RCA building, which is the towering centerpiece of the Rockefeller Center. During this time, New York City was being built into what it is today and this photo captures all the aspects that went into it. Ebbets used perspective, costuming, and color to show optimism, achievements, and innovation during the recovery of the Great Depression in America. 

Ebbets used perspective as one of his main elements of design to show optimism, achievement and innovation in New York City at the time. Perspective is created through the arrangement of objects and in this photo, the objects are the people and the beam they are sitting on. These men are sitting on a construction beam, hundred of feet off the ground, so the viewer can assume the are constructing a skyscraper. Building a skyscraper takes time, money, and hard labor and it shows that the American economy is recovering and is going to achieve great things in the near future. The workers are content and laughing with their friends, they're enjoying the little things that they receive, like a work break to eat and smoke a cigarette despite the fact they are hundreds of feet off the ground and could die. They are staying optimistic in a dangerous and risky situation. This is symbolic for how the United States was struggling and Americans had to stay positive if they wanted things to change for the better. For corporations, it was a very high risk to start building skyscrapers, but they took that risk hoping the economy would recover. This group of men were placed above New York City, which is symbolic for the economy rising and the "skyscraper boom". Below the eleven workers, you can see new buildings and young New York City being built up again. By manipulating the camera angle, this photo is more powerful. When Ebbets shot this photo, he purposely shot this photograph from above to make it look like the men were higher up than they actually were. By pointing the camera down at and showing all the buildings, it appears that the men are higher than they actually are. He used the space and put the men on the beam in the middle of the photo creating a line. The line is resembling the split between the economic classes. The buildings below the men are very clear as opposed to the space above them. The space above the workers are neighborhoods and where the majority of the workers and lower class families lived. It is blurry because the people who were helping build America back up again are overlooked. The lower class helped build the economy by working hard jobs, but they don't get the credit. The buildings that are clearer symbolize the big corporations who take all the credit for building the economy back up. 

Costuming is not a popular design element but it plays a significant role in the making of this photograph. Looking at the attire of the men, you can easily tell they are from the lower class. They are wearing dirty clothes, working boots, and are not well put together. Many people traveled from other countries to the United States for freedom and ended up staying in New York because of the opportunities it offered. So viewers might assume they are immigrants.  The time period that this photo was taken is important too; 1932 was right after the Great Depression when the economy was starting to recover. This photo shows men who were helping rebuild America and the economy. A key to the economy recovering is construction, and seeing this photo with men working on building a skyscraper gave Americans hope for the future. Because of the Great Depression, many people were left jobless and in need of money. Construction was a dangerous job and wealthy companies needed to hire mass amount of people for this type of labor. They hired jobless people for the small amounts of money, and since people just needed money, they would do any type of work for any amount they were offered. If these men were dressed in suits, or even just casual clothing, this image would not convey the same meaning. 

Color plays a strong role in how this photo makes the viewer feel. Putting this photo in black and white makes it stronger and adds more value to the overall meaning. The beam and workers are black and dark colors while the background is light grey and white. This technique directs the viewer's eyes to the main focus of the picture, the workers. If this photograph was in color, the space behind the men, Central Park, would be green and distract their viewers from the main focus. Also, since this moment was photographed during the Great Depression, the grays and blacks add to the darkness of the time period. The black and white tone makes the photo more serious and adds emotion. Even though the men are smiling and look like they are enjoying their time, they are struggling to get money and live the life they want. 

Even though America was going through the Great Depression and a dark time in history, the people who lived in New York City did not give up. The worked hard to build the economy, showed optimism, and pursued achievement. Ebbets photograph, "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper", captures all of those characteristics through the use of perspective, costuming, and color.

