Inspired by the 1972 Helen Levitt photo “Kids With Laundry” that was posted here last week, Ephemeral reader Paul Mones sent me these snapshots he took in the early spring of 1973.
Born in the Bronx, Mones was a college student then; the photos were part of an essay for an urban sociology class he took at SUNY Buffalo.
They chronicle some seemingly ordinary street scenes from 33rd Street to 50th Street or so: the merchants, shoppers, pedestrians, and storefronts of a typical stretch of Manhattan in the early 1970s.
I imagine that Mones didn’t think he captured anything remarkable when he developed the film. But he did: They’re lovely, unposed glimpses into little moments of a vanished time, as he put it.
Check out the hand-painted bar signage, pre-Korean deli vegetable dealer, metal garbage can, and messy bargain bins outside a discount store that’s now probably the home of a fusion restaurant or upscale cocktail lounge.
And a shoeshine stand/umbrella repair place! So many relics of another era.
[All photos copyright Paul Mones]
Tags: color photos of New York City, Hell's Kitchen street scenes, New York in 1973, New York in the 1970s, Ninth Avenue New York, vanished storefronts NYC, vegetable stands New York, vintage photos New York
August 23, 2012 at 12:14 pm |
Beautiful pictures. Nice work, Mr. Mones!
August 23, 2012 at 2:27 pm |
Great pix. Been living in Hell’s Kitchen since Oct 1979. Wish the pix had addresses or specific locations attached to them… but still great.
August 23, 2012 at 3:00 pm |
Wonderful! We should all be thusly inspired to photograph seemingly “unimportant” street scenes
August 23, 2012 at 4:26 pm |
These are great images of a colorful part of the city! I’d love to see more…
August 23, 2012 at 4:50 pm |
It’s wonderful to see old New York. It changes every moment, every day, every week, month and year and sites as Ephemeral NY do us a great service in chronicling the events of the city’s long disappearing life. Paul Mones’ pictures are a wonder to us who just walked and passed life by on the way to something else. Bravo to you sir, you’ve taken your place in the city’s history!
August 24, 2012 at 11:18 am |
Very cool! I have been sloooowly going through my own old photographs of street scenes and similar subjects. They’re from the early 1980s, but maybe someday people will find them of interest, too.
August 27, 2012 at 2:09 pm |
I would find them interesting today! The early 80s were 30 years ago, incredibly. New York has changed so much.
August 28, 2012 at 9:14 pm |
Love the pictures! I lived in Hell’s Kitchen for about 10 years and it is great to see these old photos of the neighborhood!
September 5, 2012 at 6:14 pm |
Love your photos Paul. Thanks for posting.
September 16, 2012 at 4:00 am |
Fear not, fair blogger! That “2 for 1″ bar is still serving drinks. Nowadays it’s named the 9th Avenue Saloon, with a gay clientele. Before that name it was Cleo’s, going back at least to the mid-90′s. Somewhere along the line it lost that cool facade, though – possibly so a roll-down gate could be installed.
December 6, 2012 at 7:33 am |
[...] I posted four of these wonderful moments of a vanished time: scenes of unglamorous shoppers and neighborhood folks going about their day. [...]