“I love what I do. Whether it is in the darkroom or out taking pictures.”
~ George Tice
(1938-2025)
I have seen grown adults cry in front of this photograph. In my pre-Covid lifestyle, we would be exhibiting at 6+ art fairs a year, all over the world. Particularly at our U.S. fairs, whenever this image was on display it would elicit the most emotional outbursts. People would tell us how their parents used to take them on a special outing to eat at a White Castle, especially our East Coast clients. It seemed to be one of their most vivid childhood recollections, like getting their first dog or bicycle.
So this is not just a beautiful architectural rendition. So many stories emanate from these walls. One of the reasons, of course, is that it is an exquisitely hand-crafted “tour de force” print made in the 20th century. George is a true master in the darkroom. The print glows and is so luminous. It has a stillness and an almost “sad beauty” to it, much like an Edward Hopper painting.
In 1921, a young man, Billy Ingram from Wichita, Kansas, borrowed $700 from his family and set up the first one. His innovation was to produce small square hamburgers, so easy to eat they were dubbed “sliders” and sold by the stack. All pre-vegan, artisanal “farm-to-table,” as we say now.
Yes, it evokes another world and another time, but this image is a prime example of photography as memory.