Limousine

Kathy Shorr, raised in Brooklyn, bought her first car at the age of 17 and always loved driving. Her passion for cars dates back to her childhood, a time when only a few residents in her neighborhood owned a vehicle. As a young girl, she was inspired by her grandmother’s resourcefulness—the only member of the family to own and drive a car. Perhaps this early influence led Shorr to find work as a limousine driver after graduating college, turning the vehicle into a mobile photography studio.

For nine months, she captured a diverse range of passengers heading to weddings, proms, quinceañeras, and other celebrations. The limousine’s elegant interior served as a private space, allowing passengers from working-class backgrounds to embrace a temporary sense of celebrity.

Shorr’s work thus draws from two distinct genres in photographic history: the road trip — exemplified by projects like California Kiss by Elliott Erwitt — and studio portraiture. Just as families once visited a photographer’s studio to capture special occasions, her subjects stepped into the car in their finest attire to celebrate significant moments. In the 1980s, the limousine epitomized the ultimate symbol of luxury and social status. Long, sleek, and often featuring opulent interiors, it represented economic success and access to an exclusive world.

As Chris Lezotte notes, although women were often stereotyped as too frail to handle the “motorized beast,” they have long defied these gender norms, reclaiming the automobile as a source of autonomy. Shorr’s grandmother primarily used her Chevy for family outings, but it also stood as a means of independence. Kathy, on the other hand, as both photographer and driver, relied on the car to offer herself and her passengers the journey of a lifetime.