William Klein Print | Gun 1, New York (1955) Street Photography Wall Art
This William Klein print — Gun 1, New York, 1955 — is one of the most confrontational images in the history of street photography: a boy pointing a toy gun directly into Klein’s lens, the face a snarl, the frame claustrophobically close.
NYC street photo art that breaks every rule of polite documentary photography: Gun New York print as black and white street art with the visual aggression of a film still and the rawness of a provoked moment — 1950s photography print work that still shocks.
Available on 200 GSM museum-grade matte paper, seven sizes 9×11″ to 24×36″ — frame-ready. Digital download $3.90 (300 DPI, PDF/JPG).
The Artwork
About This Print
This William Klein print from 1955 puts a toy gun and a child’s snarl at the centre of the frame and dares you to look away. Klein made this image in New York in the year he published his landmark book Life is Good and Good for You in New York — and the Gun New York print is perhaps the single image that best captures that book’s ethos: confrontational, close, deliberately uncomfortable. This William Klein print is NYC street photo art stripped of every politeness the medium had accumulated by 1955.
Klein had studied painting in Paris and came to photography with no reverence for its conventions. The result was black and white street art that operated more like an assault than a document — grain pushed, distance eliminated, the subject given no dignity and no privacy. This 1950s photography print is still ahead of most street photography made since.
About This William Klein Print
- Design & vibe: Extreme grain, high contrast, radical close-up — the gun barrel and the child’s face filling the frame with zero breathing room. This black and white street art is compositionally and emotionally extreme. Gun New York print as NYC street photo art: the image that changed what street photography thought it was allowed to do. 1950s photography print with the visual force of a provocation rather than an observation.
- Print quality: 200 GSM museum-grade matte paper, fade-resistant archival inks. Accurate grain, deep blacks, sharp graphic detail.
- Sizes: 9×11″ to 24×36″, all frame-ready. Digital download $3.90 (300 DPI, PDF/JPG).
- Great gift for: Street photography collectors, photography history fans, and anyone who appreciates black and white street art and NYC street photo art with genuine disruptive force.
Where to Hang This NYC Street Photo Art
The radical composition and high visual energy of this William Klein print suit a home office, studio, living room, or hallway where bold contemporary art is the point. As black and white street art it pairs with other Klein work or other aggressive mid-century street photography. This Gun New York print and 1950s photography print commands the wall most fully at 16×20″ and above.
More from MerchFuse
Browse more photography prints at MerchFuse.
Print & Material Details
200 GSM museum-grade matte paper, fade-resistant archival inks, seven standard frame-ready sizes.
Prefer digital? Download a 300 DPI PDF/JPG for $3.90.
Fan-inspired artwork. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed by any rights holder.
What You're Getting
Premium Quality, Every Print
Not all posters are created equal. Here's exactly what makes a MerchFuse print different.
Paper Quality
200 GSM Matte Stock
Genuine heavyweight fine art matte paper — noticeably thicker than standard poster stock. Resists curling and feels substantial on the wall.
Ink & Longevity
75-Year Archival Inks
Fade-resistant pigment inks rated for 75+ years of indoor display — the same technology used in professional photography studios and fine art galleries.
Packaging
Rigid Tube Shipping
Every order hand-rolled in tissue paper inside a reinforced protective tube with end-cap cushioning — arrives perfectly flat, crease-free, mint condition, guaranteed.
Before You Order
Find Your Perfect Print Size
All sizes match standard off-the-shelf frames — IKEA, Target, and Amazon frames fit straight away.
All sizes shown to scale — portrait & landscape orientations
After It Arrives
How to Frame & Display Your Print
Four simple steps, tube to wall — no tools, no specialist knowledge.
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Unroll & Let It Relax
Remove from the tube and lay face-down on a clean flat surface for 20–30 minutes. The 200 GSM matte stock self-relaxes — any shipping curl releases without heat or moisture.
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Pick a Standard Frame
Every size matches a standard off-the-shelf frame — IKEA HOVSTA, Target Threshold, Amazon Basics. An 18×24" drops in directly. No trimming, no custom framing.
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Glass Is Optional
Our matte finish eliminates glare, so hanging without glass often shows more detail — particularly deep blacks and shadow gradients. If you prefer glass, use UV-protective acrylic.
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Avoid Direct UV Sunlight
Archival pigment inks are rated for 75+ years indoors. Choose a wall with indirect or diffused natural light for the longest possible display life.
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