As I was walking northeast on the east side of Seventh Avenue in New York between West 39 Street and West 40 Street in the Garment District, I stopped in my tracks because I spotted something I never saw before: a sculpture called The Garment Worker in New York.
The Garment Worker in New York. Sunday Morning Photograph.
The reason why I stopped is because the sculpture immediately reminded me of my grandfather. The sewing machine closely resembled his Singer sewing machine. The table and foot petal seemed almost identical to his. Memories flooded back to me.
The sculpture was inspired by the father of Judith Weller, who was a sewing machine operator in the garment industry in New York. She created this work of art as a tribute to the Jewish garment workers and as a symbol of their hard work, perseverance, and the vital role they played in shaping the garment sector and its immigrant community in New York.
As I first wrote in this article, my grandfather’s Singer sewing machine is one of the most sentimental items which I have in my possession. He was technically a tailor; but he worked magic with that sewing machine. He designed and created such complex garments as wedding dresses; and he successfully repaired any piece of clothing I gave to him — no matter what was the damage. He simply had this knack of taking garments that seemed hopelessly worn or torn and resurrected them to seem like they were new. I had no idea how he did that; but as I said, he worked his magic — and quickly, too.
Final Boarding Call
Trivia time: The sculpture was donated to the City of New York in 1984 by Judith Weller with 43 sponsors. It measures approximately 6.5 feet in height, four feet in width, and four feet in depth. The base of the sculpture adds an additional height of one foot.
The purpose of the weekly series of Sunday Morning Photograph articles is to feature photographs from my travels around the world which you can view while enjoying your morning coffee.
Please click here for a complete list of the Sunday Morning Photograph series of articles at The Gate With Brian Cohen, which include photographs taken of nature and sights of interest in many countries and territories around the world — including but not limited to:
Albania • Andorra • Argentina • Australia • Austria • Bahamas • Bahrain • Belgium • Belarus • Bosnia and Herzegovina • Botswana • Brazil • Bulgaria • Canada • China • Chile • Colombia • Côte d’Ivoire or Ivory Coast • Croatia • Cyprus — including the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus • Czechia or Czech Republic • Denmark • Dominican Republic • Egypt • England in Great Britain in the United Kingdom • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Greenland • Hungary • Iceland • Ireland • Italy • Jamaica • Kenya • Kosovo • Latvia • Lebanon • Lesotho • Liechtenstein • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Malaysia • Mexico • Montenegro • Morocco • Mozambique • Netherlands • New Zealand • North Macedonia • Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom • Norway • Oman • Panama • Philippines • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Scotland in Great Britain in the United Kingdom • Singapore • Slovenia • South Africa • South Korea • Spain • Swaziland or Eswatini • Sweden • Switzerland • Thailand • Turkey or the Republic of Türkiye • United Arab Emirates • United States of America • Uruguay • Wales in Great Britain in the United Kingdom
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
