Order Nr. 141825 LIMOUSINE. Kathy Shorr.
LIMOUSINE
LIMOUSINE
LIMOUSINE
LIMOUSINE
LIMOUSINE

LIMOUSINE.

The book contains contributions by Chris Lozotte and Jean Dykstra

  • Milan, Italy: Lazy Dog Press, 2024.
  • 21 x 26 cm
  • sewn hardback
  • 96 pages
  • ISBN: 9788898030767

Price: $36.00  other currencies

Order Nr. 141825

Read an interview with artist Kathy Shorr in PRINT Magazine here: https://www.printmag.com/photography-and-design/limousine-by-kathy-shorr/

Read an interview with artist Kathy Shorr in Avenue Magazine here: https://avenuemagazine.com/nyc-1988-inside-kathy-shorrs-limousine/

"Limousine is a toast to Brooklyns working class communities by one of its own."
- Miss Rosen, Huck Magazine
https://www.huckmag.com/article/kathy-shorrs-limousine-photographs

"Limousine offers a delightful time-capsule view of a bygone era in fashion--hair teased to the heavens, satin dresses with tight hips and big puffed shoulders, acid-washed jeans rolled at the cuff--and of a bygone New York, too."
- Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/a-limousine-driver-watches-her-passengers-transform

"Shorr's images capture the raw energy and unfiltered glamour of 1980s New York, offering an intimate glimpse into the lives of her passengers as they transform within the limousines confines."
- Aline Smithson, Lenscratch
https://lenscratch.com/2024/12/kathy-shorr-limosine/

"Shorr's side job as a stretch limousine driver in the late 80s provided rich material for her series on working-class New Yorkers in high celebration mode."
- Kathryn Bromwich, The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/jan/13/kathy-shorr-limousine-photographs-brooklyn

"Kathy Shorr transformed her limousine into a photo studio on wheels. The result is 'Limousine' a new illustrated book about freedom, art, and female autonomy." (translated)
- Naïma Gebert, Stern
https://www.stern.de/fotografie/kathy-shorr--frauen--autos-und-unabhaengigkeit-in-new-york-city-35437734.html

"Shorr coaxes forth a glimpse of peoples unguarded selves, unscripted and without a known path forward -- like youre looking at the accidental artistry of the world itself."
- Cary Benbow, F-Stop Magazine
https://www.fstopmagazine.com/blog/2025/book-review-limousine-by-kathy-shorr/

"[Shorr] has revealed what really happens in the back of a limo through beautiful candid shots of passengers in the 1980s - all telling stories of love, lust and some surprising secrets."
- Noa Halff, Daily Mail
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14414461/Photographers-retro-photos-1980s-limo-tell-incredible-stories.html

"The world goes by inside a limousine and becomes the protagonist of a wonderful story.... The work Limousine offers a delightful time capsule of a bygone era of fashion -- hair swept up to the sky, satin dresses with narrow hips and big puffy shoulders, acid-washed jeans rolled up over the cuffs -- and also of a bygone New York" (translated)
- Paolo Ranzani, Phocus Magazine
https://www.phocusmagazine.it/kathy-shorr-il-mondo-dentro-una-limousine/

"This selection of work was standout... These works blur the lines of documentary, portraiture, studio work and street photography."
- Carrie Scott, Seen
https://www.seen.art/blog/carrie-scott-top-picks-photo-london-2025

"Kathy Shorr's Limousine is a quietly revelatory work that transcends the boundaries of street photography and portraiture, offering a nuanced exploration of class, aspiration, and self-invention... Limousine offers a clear-eyed meditation on the human desire to momentarily transcend the everyday."
- Amy Wei, Musée Magazine
https://museemagazine.com/culture/2025/5/28/book-review-limousine-by-kathy-shorr-lazy-dog-books

"Limousine is a homage to photography, mobility, and the desire to affirm one's identity through movement and image." (translated)
- Dario Moalli, Artribune
https://www.artribune.com/editoria/2025/03/7-nuovi-libri/
________________________________

Kathy Shorr, who grew up in Brooklyn, bought her first car at age 17 and has always loved to drive. The passion dates back to childhood, when still few residents of her neighborhood owned a car. As a girl she was inspired by her grandmother's resourcefulness: the only member of the family to own and drive a car.

After graduation Shorr found work as a limousine driver, turning the vehicle into a photographic studio on wheels. For nine months, she captured a wide variety of passengers headed to weddings, final balls, quinceañeras and other celebrations. The sleek interior of the limousine served as a private space, allowing passengers from working-class backgrounds to embrace a temporary celebrity status.

Shorr's work thus draws on two distinct genres in the history of photography: the road trip - think Elliot Erwitt's California Kiss - and the studio portrait. Like families who reached a photographer's workshop to capture a special occasion, Limousine's subjects entered the car in their finest clothes to experience a moment of celebration.

As Chris Lezotte writes, although often stereotyped as being to weak to handle the 'motorized beast,' women have always defied gender stereotypes to claim the car as a source of autonomy. Shorr's grandmother used her Chevy primarily for family excursions, but also as a means of independence. Shorr, on the other hand, as a photographer and driver, affirmed the automobile to offer herself and her passengers the ride of a lifetime.