Gail’s Goes Viral
A week or so ago, a throwaway post on X (formerly twitter) of a throwaway iPhone snap went viral. As this is highly unlikely to happen to me again I thought I ‘d write a few words …
Back in January 2024 we visited NYC. It was my first visit to the Big Apple and one of the items on our itinerary was a visit to the Whitney Museum, specifically to see their collection of paintings by a favourite artist, Edward Hopper.
Edward Hopper is one of those artists that even if you don’t know his name you most likely know his work, or at least seen something influenced by it. Though I don’t pretend to be an expert, what I love about it is the cinematic / story telling quality and mood, grounded in the gritty reality of ordinary life. People in his paintings often appear lost in thought, disengaged, unaware that they’re being observed … and as an observer (and Hopper’s paintings clearly remind you of your role) you can’t help but wonder who these people are, why they’re there, about their thoughts, about their story.
In Nighthawks, painted in 1942 and perhaps Hopper’s best known work, four people occupy a diner late at night. Though physically close, they’re essentially alone, inward looking, disconnected, both from each other and from the world outside. Nighthawks is Hopper’s “subconscious” study of the loneliness and isolation of a big city, perhaps inspired by a story by Ernest Hemmingway, with the scene “suggested” by a restaurant in Greenwich Village, Manhattan.
A week ago we were in another Greenwich, this time the original London version. As I waited for Polly I noticed a not dissimilar scene to Nighthawks, this time a single person, disconnected from the world around them, absorbed by the contents of their phone, perfectly framed by the plate glass window. I couldn’t help reach for my own phone and take the picture.
That evening, I posted the image on X simply because it reminded me of Hopper’s work. I had no expectations, in fact I was surprised and quite chuffed when the next morning it had reached 30 likes. When I checked back at lunchtime and found the likes had gone from 30 to 7,500 I was completely gobsmacked.
The post went on to receive 94,000 likes, 3.5m interactions and over a thousand comments. How and why it went viral I’ll never know. I guess it must say something about Hopper’s work being part of our collective consciousness and how his pictures of ordinary people leading ordinary lives continues to resonate. In a world seemingly obsessed by wealth and celebrity this has to be a good thing! I can’t help but think that if Hopper had painted Nighthawks in 2025, all four people in the diner would have been looking at their phones, but whilst technologies wax and wane, the human condition remains largely the same as it’s always been.
The cheat in my image is that Gail’s looks deserted save for the lone person absorbed in their phone. Nothing could be further from the truth. The photo was taken from across a busy street between cars and pedestrians passing by, and a few feet to the left or right would have revealed staff and other diners. That’s photography for you! Though it’s a real photograph of a real scene, just as the iPhone captured it (no AI or post processing involved), it’s a reminder that the framing of the scene and the timing of shutter release creates its own reality.
Please don’t take from any of these ramblings that I think the photograph in any way equates to Edward Hopper’s work. At best it’s a pale imitation and is, in truth, a lucky capture. That said, a photographer must first and foremost be an observer with the ability to spot, then arrange a scene that others would simply pass by (pressing the shutter is the easy bit) so I’ll allow myself a little credit.
For those interested, the image was captured using an iPhone 13. Feeling the need for a digital detox I’d not brought my proper camera gear or computer (used for post processing) on the trip, so the iPhone (a necessity in London 2025) and a compact film camera loaded with black and white film were the only things to hand. Though the IQ isn’t great, it’s pretty good for a phone capture at night and a reminder that (a) the best camera is the one you have with you and (b) IQ is always out-trumped by composition and story telling. Even if I’d had the proper gear, the scene would have passed by before I’d set up!
My only slight regret is that I didn’t ask permission to share the picture. In my defence I had no idea that the post would go viral, but I should have asked out of politeness. I’ve since emailed Gail’s to find out whether they know / can contact the customer – she looks like a regular. So far no reply, but if and when I receive one I’ll post it here.