This photograph is taken from the window of a bus that is passing over what is likely O’Connell Bridge facing Bachelor’s Walk on the right and Aston Quay on the left. The window is speckled with drops of rain and through it we see a number of people shuffling past one another with hats, headscarves and umbrellas as they try to escape the rain. The raindrops on the window not only make us aware of the surface through which we are looking, but creates another layer to the image in addition to reflections in the puddles on the bridge and the river running from foreground to background. One can just about make out the corner of the window on the bus in the lower left foreground of the photograph. Erich Hartmann was known for capturing street scenes from unusual viewpoints and the upper level bus window is one such example of this. Interestingly, during the 1960s the lamp posts dotted along O’Connell Bridge had a single lamp. Those who walk across O’Connell Bridge today will notice that each lamp post bares three lamps.
on verso: Copyright Erich Hartmann
on verso (in pencil, print code): 64-30 57/32A-33