Fearless Men: Having Lunch On Top of a Skyscraper, 1932
Unfortunately, the source of this photo is unknown, despite how famous it is. It’s a dangerously playful moment captured of 11 men eating nonchalantly, talking and smoking. It is as though they aren’t aware that they’re sitting 840 feet above the city of Manhattan. Either that or they just don’t have any fear in them at all.
Time
These men are construction workers who built the Rockefeller Center. The photo was taken on the 69th floor of the flagship RCA Building and was actually staged as part of a promotional campaign for the skyscraper. This image became the symbol of American resilience and ambition in an era which needed both. It has also become an icon of the fearlessness of New Yorkers. You can find this image on anything from a wall painting to t-shirts, to mugs.