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.
1

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
2

Al’s Bar – March 27, 1954 – location unknown. Found image, photographer unknown.
3

36th Street and 7th Avenue
4
5

Financial District and Ferry St being the cross street, view south on Cliff St 1967.
6

Sullivan Street celebrating the Festival of St Anthony.
7

Loews Movie Theater, 72nd Street, 1960. Kodachrome transparency rescued in 1980s – photographer unknown.
8

Fifth Avenue at 44th Street – found Kodachrome transparency, date unknown, photographer unknown.
9

Modern Art. Guggenheim Museum soon after it opened – 1960. Kodachrome transparency found in the trash in the 1980s. Photographer unknown.
10

Midtown at 5-00 PM. Early 1980s. Photo – Jan Wein.
11

Another river view. USS Stockham, Navy Destroyer. Year unknown. Original photographer unknown.
12

Schmattes – W 36th Street, Found Kodachrome Transparency, photographer unknown, date unknown.
13

Sunday painter of a plein air composition of the pond in in Central Park. Found Kodachrome, photographer unknown, date likely the 1950s.
14

Riverview of Manhattan, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown, date unknown.
15

The Lehigh Salvage Co. Salvaged slide, photographer unknown, location unknown.
16
17

Winter – Murphy Memorial Flagpole, Union Place, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown, date unknown, likely mid to late 1950s.
18

New York World Telegram – found Kodachrome transparency, date unknown, location unknown, photographer unknown.
19

Fifth Avenue – Midtown. Date unknown, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.
20

Ice Skating at 30 Rockefeller Center, Hanan Linen Shop in background – circa 1958, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.
21

Rockefeller Center – circa 1958, Found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.
22

Rockefeller Center – Fifth Avenue at 50th Street circa 1958 – found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.
23

Construction site of Canada House at 680 Fifth Avenue, 1956. Found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.
24

Coming Here! New York Savings Bank. 1958. Location unknown. Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown.
25

Under the Manhattan Bridge – date unknown, photographer unknown, found Kodachrome transparency.
26
27

Cobblestone. Location- you tell me. Year- leave this to the car guys. Photographer- unknown.
28

Winter in NYC 1961. Found Kodachrome slide. Photographer unknown.
29

Out with old, in with new. Location unknown, year unknown, photographer unknown.
30

One of many transparencies found in the trash in Manhattan in the early 1980s. Photographer unknown.
31

Engine House 31 at Lafayette Street 1961 – still there apparently. Kodachrome transparency. Photographer unknown.
32

The Great White Way.
33

118 Orchard Street in the Lower East Side
34
35

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

More Inspiring Stories

Spectacular Landscape-Winning Photos From The 2023 reFocus World Photo Annual Awards

The Original and Outrageous 1979 Cocaine Calendar

The Superb Vintage Digital Collages by Beppe Conti

Crazy (Cool) Cat Men: Ridiculous Studio Photos Of Men Posing With Their Beloved Cats

These Vintage Life Hacks Were Found Inside A Cigarette Pack From The 1900s

Weird Medieval Paintings Of Cats Licking Their Butts

Underwater Wedding in Shanghai

"Dark Carnival": Photographer Makes a Shots of Vintage Creepy Clowns In a Cornfield

Matt Lipps' Carefully Constructed Photographic Tableaus

Rare and Beautiful Soviet Murals Unexpectedly Found Behind Commercial Booths

Amazing Photos of the 1948 Panhard Dynavia

Stunning Vintage Photos of the Panther 6, a Crazy 6-Wheeled UK Sports Car From 1977

Wonderful Photos Capture Everyday Life of Florida in the 1980s

Russian Craftsmen Built This Steampunk Trike Inspired By “Joseph Stalin” Locomotive

Impressive Photos That Capture Street Scenes Of Vancouver In The Late 1970s

Vintage Photos of Ugly Restaurants in the USA From the Mid-20th Century

The Ethereal Artistry and Haunting Hyperrealism in Photographs by Alexander Berdin-Lazursky

Weird Advertising for a Weird Car: Balloon-Wheeled Citroen DS, 1959

A Look Back at the Workplaces and Offices of the 1970s and 1980s

Chocolate Fashion Show in Brussels

Marketing Strategies of the 1960s-1980s: Women in Miniskirts Promote Computer Systems

Vintage Portraits Of Psychiatric Patients In The Late 19th Century

This Instagram Account Creates Sinister Parodies of Retro Pop-Culture Pictures

Publicity Photos Of Marilyn Monroe Playing The Ukulele For “Some Like It Hot” In 1959

Louis Renard’s Superb Illustrations of The East Indies Marine Life He Never Saw

Stunning Real Photo Postcards Captured Street Scenes at Night in the 1960s

In 1974 Manga Artists Celebrate The Exorcist’s Arrival in Japan

"We Do Lockdown": A Razor-Sharp Satire of COVID-19 Lockdown Life Packed Full of Parodies of Vintage Illustrations by Miriam Elia

Before the Cybertruck: Amazing Photos of the 1988 Lamborghini LM002

The Extending Mini-Skirts In Paris In The Mid-1960s