Berenice Abbott photographed the Fuller building, nicknamed ​“the Flatiron,” multiple times as part of her Changing New York project. The project, initiated by the Federal Art Project and part of the Works Progress Administration, sought to create a broadly inclusive collection of photographs that suggested the vital interaction between three aspects of urban life: the diverse people of the city; the places they live, work and play; and their daily activities. By the time she resigned from the FAP in 1939, she had produced 305 photographs of New York City and its people. 

For Abbott, the 20^th-century invention of photography was the perfect way to document the 20^th century. ​“I believe there is no more creative medium than photography to recreate the living world of our time,” she wrote. ​“Photography gladly accepts the challenge because it is at home in its element: namely, realism — real life — the now.” For many New Yorkers the unusual Flatiron building was a symbol of modern life, technology, and architecture.