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. Continue reading »
This Photographer Documents Abandoned NYC Subway Ads
Photographer Barton Lewis documents “wall cuts” (ad panels in the NYC subway) that people have torn and that have decayed, transforming them into artworks. Continue reading »
Amazing photos of New York City taken by Anthony Angel in the 1950’s
Anthony Angel (1906-1967) dedicated his life to capturing the essence of New York City through the lens of his camera. Day after day, he ventured out into the bustling streets, documenting the city’s vibrant street scenes and iconic buildings. His extraordinary photographic legacy, generously bequeathed to the Library of Congress, comprises an impressive collection of approximately 60,000 images. Continue reading »
Big Apple Beats: The Project that Visualizes New York’s Sound Culture
Retoka Studio and Ruben Alvarez present Big Apple Beats, a project that turns New York City’s sounds into 3D visuals. Using photos of the city’s lights and digital effects, they make shapes and colors that look like music equalizers. They want to show the diversity and energy of New York’s sound culture. Continue reading »
Photographer by Ruth Orkin Captured Stunning Color Photographs of New York City in the 1950s
Ruth Orkin was a trailblazing photojournalist and filmmaker, whose passion for photography began at a young age. Born in Boston, Orkin grew up in Hollywood during the 1920s and 1930s, and was gifted her first camera, a 39 cent Univex, at the age of 10. It was a gift that would change the course of her life. Continue reading »
Life Before iPods: 26 Vintage Photographs Show the Heyday of Boombox in New York City From the 1980s
Those of us who lived in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s can testify to the very serious quality of life issues – graffiti covered subways, vandalism, garbage, crime, noise, drugs. The streets were minefields of dog poop just waiting for the next victim, those unfamiliar with the terrain or seasoned New Yorkers who had a momentary lapse of attention to the sidewalks. It was a very rough time and not the promised land at all. Continue reading »
This NYC Artist Found A Brilliant Way To Surprise Unexpectant Subway Passengers
Devon Rodriguez, a New Yorker, connects with others in a simple and friendly manner by using his talent and free time. The artist is displaying his skills by drawing unsuspecting subway passengers in New York and then giving them the completed piece as a token of gratitude. Continue reading »
Lush Kodachrome Photos of New York in the Late 1960s
In the late 1960s, 25-year-old Tod Papageorge came to New York as a photographer in the making. Every day he would spend time taking photographs all over the city with his fellows. Continue reading »
Cars of New York City: Snapshots from The 1970s and Early 1980s
About 13 years ago, Andy Blair decided to send off batches of these hidden gems for digitizing. Once in the digital domain, he spent months enhancing the images taken so long ago. “Talk about a labor of love!”, he says. A friend mentioned Flickr to Andy and after checking it out, he tentatively decided to start uploading. Continue reading »
Andy Blair Captured Fabulous Photos of Vintage Jersey City c. 1970s
These fabulous photographs are from Andy Blair’s Flickr site (previously featured). He’s taken us back to 1970s New York before, but now we’re focusing on Jersey City. Continue reading »
Amazing Photos of New York in the 1930s by Samuel Gottscho
Midtown Manhattan, New York City, December 15, 1931
Samuel Herman Gottscho (1875–1971) was an American architectural, landscape, and nature photographer. He was born in Brooklyn in New York City. He acquired his first camera in 1896 and took his first photograph at Coney Island. From 1896 to 1920 he photographed part-time, specializing in houses and gardens, as he particularly enjoyed nature, rural life, and landscapes. Continue reading »
Amazing Old Photos that Capture the Everyday Life in New York City in The 1940s
Library of Congress/New York City Library/Wikimedia Commons/PBS
These incredible black and white photographs document everyday life in New York City in the 1940s and offer a glimpse into a long-gone era. From street peddlers selling fish or fresh ears of corn, to cars stalled under mounds of snow, scenes are both familiar and nostalgic. Continue reading »
Rarely Seen Photographs of New York From the 1870s
Suspension Bridge, Niagara Falls, New York, circa 1871
In the 19th century, New York City became America’s largest city as well as a fascinating metropolis. Characters such as Washington Irving, Phineas T. Barnum, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and John Jacob Astor made their names in New York City. And despite blights on the city, such as the Five Points slum or the notorious 1863 Draft Riots, the city grew and prospered. Continue reading »
Stunning Black and White Photos of Manhattan Taken by Berenice Abbott in 1935 and 1936
Seventh Avenue Looking South from 35th Street
An American photographer, Berenice Abbott was a central figure in and important bridge between the photographic circles and cultural hubs of Paris and New York. Continue reading »
Documenting America: Scenes of Early-Century New York City Life in Paintings of John French Sloan
Sunday Women, Drying Their Hair, 1912
John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 – September 7, 1951) was an American painter and etcher. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Ashcan school of American art. Continue reading »
Beautiful Kodachrome Photos of Life in New York in the Late 1960s
Pace/MacGill Gallery
Tod Papageorge was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1940, and began to photograph in 1962 during his last semester at the University of New Hampshire. Little more than a month later, after running across reproductions of two pictures made by Henri Cartier-Bresson, he decided to be a photographer. Continue reading »
Dreamy and Cinematic New York City Photographs by Dimitri Guédé
According to a photographer: “I am a visual story teller, who aims to project new perspectives of the world. As a photographer based out of New York City, my photograhs are significantly influenced by “The city that never sleeps”!. My passion can be seen in my work. I strive to expose great detail with my editing style being heavily inspired by cinematic works, such as Joker, Blade runner 2049, and Altered Carbon.” Continue reading »
A Teenager’s Photos of 1970s Brooklyn NYC: Led Zeppelin, The El, snow and All the President’s Men
Anthony Catalano’s photographs of Brooklyn, New York City, in the mid-1970s were mostly developed in his darkroom in Boro Park darkroom in the 70s. “Remember the snow storm of ’78?” he asks. Continue reading »
Incredible Photos of New York City’s Subway in 1980
In the spring of 1980, Bruce Davidson began his ‘Subway’ project, which focused on New York City’s subway system. Instead of the common black and white portraits, Davidson shifted to color after he realized that the subway was “a dimension of meaning that demanded a color consciousness”. Continue reading »
Historic Photos of USS Recruit, a Dreadnought Battleship Built in Union Square From 1917-1920
USS Recruit was a wooden mockup of a dreadnought battleship constructed by the United States Navy in Manhattan in New York City, as a recruiting tool and training ship during the First World War. Commissioned as if it were a normal vessel of the U.S. Navy and manned by a crew of trainee sailors, Recruit was located in Union Square from 1917 until the end of the war. Continue reading »
Amazing Vintage Photos of Postwar New York From 1945 to 1948
3rd Avenue from 42nd Street El Station, 1945
These stunning pictures of postwar New York were taken by Todd Webb, an American photographer notable for documenting everyday life and architecture in large cities as well as from the American west. He did various jobs before the war and began taking a serious interest in photography after attending a ten-day workshop with Ansel Adams as his teacher in 1940. During World War II, Webb was a photographer for the United States Navy and was deployed to the South Pacific theater of operations. Continue reading »
Fascinating Black and White Pictures of New York Street Life in the Late 1960s
These pictures were taken by James Jowers, an American street photographer. Jowers began receiving training in photography and darkroom techniques while serving in the United States Army. Continue reading »
Amazing Photographs Capture Everyday Life in Spanish Harlem in the Mid-1980s
Spanish Harlem, New York’s oldest barrio, is the U.S. mecca where Puerto Ricans first established themselves in the 1940s. One of America’s most vital centers of Latino culture, Spanish Harlem is home to 125,000 people, half of whom are Latino. Continue reading »
Amazing Photos Capture Street Scenes of New York City in the 1990s
At the dawn of the 1990s, New York City was in an unremittingly bleak state. Following two decades of continuous decay, 1990 brought yet another all-time record high in violent crime and to this day, 1990 and the three years that followed remain the most homicide-plagued stretch in the city’s last five decades. The 1990s had quickly positioned itself to become the city’s worst decade yet. Continue reading »
Amazing Snapshots Capture Street Life in New York City From the Mid-1930s to the End of the 1940s
In the late 1930s, photographer Helen Levitt rode the New York City subway system, first as an apprentice to photographer Walker Evans, then snapping photos of aloof passengers wearing fur coats, flat-brim hats, and antique brooches. Continue reading »
