Lunch on a Beam: The Making of an American Photograph

This is a hybrid program, in person in the gallery and online.  

The famous publicity photograph "Lunch on a Beam," also known as "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper," pictures eleven ironworkers – mid-air on an I-beam bench – during the construction of Rockefeller Center’s RCA Building in 1932. Despite the image’s renown, little factual information or serious history has been available about it. Now, in a new book, Lunch on a Beam (April 2026), Christine Roussel – long-time archivist at Rockefeller Center and author of the definitive books The Art of Rockefeller Center and The Guide to the Art of Rockefeller Center – unpacks the story behind one of America’s most iconic photographs.

Though often seen as a spontaneous snapshot of daring laborers, the image was staged as a publicity tool during the Great Depression. Roussel blends art, architectural, and social history to illuminate the photographers, publicists, financiers, and immigrant and Indigenous workers behind the picture—revealing how the photograph not only honored working men but also helped promote John D. Rockefeller, Jr.’s ambitious vision and shape the mythology of New York City.

At this event, Christine will be in conversation with William Bartlett, former head of executive communications at NBC Universal and the author of NBC and 30 Rock: A View from Inside.