☛ International Center of Photography – eMuseum: “Boy meets girl – from Mars” by Weegee (Arthur Fellig), ca. 1955, New York (NY), gelatin silver print, image: 8 1/2 x 7 3/8 in. Accession number: 16855.1993. Credit: Bequest of Wilma Wilcox, 1993. © Getty Images/ICP

Notice how the man is actually holding a cigarette between the fingers of his left hand. The same scene was shot more than once by Weegee: there is at least one other photo showing the same couple in a slightly different position (cigarette is also there). Getty Images has it in its collection (editorial image no. 3091280). I retrieve the reproduction seen below at Top 5 Photos:

[UPDATE–July 28, 2013] This photo is not the only one inspired by one of those transparent bubble helmets. The Indianapolis Museum of Art has three more, including a self-portrait and distorted variation.

The first one is a self-portrait by Weegee while he holds his camera with its iconic flashbulb. There’s an opening in the transparent helmet, allowing him to keep on smoking his cigar. On the verso of the photo, inscribed in pencil: “Weegee at Circus as Space Man”.

The second one, with its distorted variation, is titled “Martian Woman On The Telephone” (c. 1955). She too can keep on puffing on a cigarette holder through small holes on the front of the helmet. There is also a distorted variation produced from the same image (access no. 2009.103)

I know of two other places where one can found large collections of Weegee’s photos alongside accurate and detailed attribution information. The International Center of Photography have an online eMuseum: one can browse more than 3,000 items in the Weegee collection. Getty Images also has around 3,000 items related to Weegee (mostly black&white photographs).

Previous entries tagged Weegee.