In the January 26, 1998 issue of the magazine, Paul Goldberger reported on the declining state of Havana’s architectural heritage, as well as on the Cuban preservationists who were attempting to salvage it. Robert Polidori, The New Yorker’s staff photographer at the time, accompanied Goldberger to Cuba. The two men travelled around Havana in a red-and-white 1953 Chevrolet and knocked on the doors of the city’s crumbling mansions. Polidori’s photographs of the buildings’ interiors, which he shot with a large-format camera, are vivid depictions of Goldberger’s observation that decay had not yet destroyed the “majestic presence” of Havana’s grand villas.
Above is a slide show of photographs that ran in the issue; below is a selection of other photographs that Polidori took in Cuba, both during and after his assignment with Goldberger.
In anticipation of The New Yorker’s upcoming move, to One World Trade Center, the magazine’s photo department has begun to sort through decades’ worth of photo books, prints, and research materials. Check back at the end of each month this year for a look back at a feature from our archive.