Color Images from The 1950s and 1960s that Were Discovered in A Trashcan Depict New York City in Kodachrome

Times Square, 1958, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.

Jan Wein discovered certain pictures one day. “In case you are unaware of the background, I used to live in Manhattan during Ed Koch’s mayoralty in the 1980s.

However, I later moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I’m still there.During that period, trash day offered a lot of abandoned treasures. I came upon a collection of Kodachrome slides featuring 1950s photos of New York City one day. It is unknown who took the photos because the slides are not labeled,” he told Flashbak.

Jan has spent a lot of time sharing a few of the numerous highlights from the collections.

h/t: flashbak

First Street and First Avenue

Al’s Bar – March 27, 1954 – location unknown. Found image, photographer unknown.

36th Street and 7th Avenue

Financial District and Ferry St being the cross street, view south on Cliff St 1967.

Sullivan Street celebrating the Festival of St Anthony.

Loews Movie Theater, 72nd Street, 1960. Kodachrome transparency rescued in 1980s – photographer unknown.

Fifth Avenue at 44th Street – found Kodachrome transparency, date unknown, photographer unknown.

Modern Art. Guggenheim Museum soon after it opened – 1960. Kodachrome transparency found in the trash in the 1980s. Photographer unknown.

Midtown at 5-00 PM. Early 1980s. Photo – Jan Wein.

Another river view. USS Stockham, Navy Destroyer. Year unknown. Original photographer unknown.

Schmattes – W 36th Street, Found Kodachrome Transparency, photographer unknown, date unknown.

Sunday painter of a plein air composition of the pond in in Central Park. Found Kodachrome, photographer unknown, date likely the 1950s.

Riverview of Manhattan, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown, date unknown.

The Lehigh Salvage Co. Salvaged slide, photographer unknown, location unknown.

Winter – Murphy Memorial Flagpole, Union Place, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown, date unknown, likely mid to late 1950s.

New York World Telegram – found Kodachrome transparency, date unknown, location unknown, photographer unknown.

Fifth Avenue – Midtown. Date unknown, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.

Ice Skating at 30 Rockefeller Center, Hanan Linen Shop in background – circa 1958, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.

Rockefeller Center – circa 1958, Found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.

Rockefeller Center – Fifth Avenue at 50th Street circa 1958 – found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.

Construction site of Canada House at 680 Fifth Avenue, 1956. Found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.

Coming Here! New York Savings Bank. 1958. Location unknown. Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.

Under the Manhattan Bridge – date unknown, photographer unknown, found Kodachrome transparency.

Cobblestone. Location- you tell me. Year- leave this to the car guys. Photographer- unknown.

Winter in NYC 1961. Found Kodachrome slide. Photographer unknown.

Out with old, in with new. Location unknown, year unknown, photographer unknown.

One of many transparencies found in the trash in Manhattan in the early 1980s. Photographer unknown.

Engine House 31 at Lafayette Street 1961 – still there apparently. Kodachrome transparency. Photographer unknown.

The Great White Way.

118 Orchard Street in the Lower East Side