Street photographer Robert Herman has traversed Soho, Little Italy, Tribeca, Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side since the 1970s, taking snaps using the old color film Kodachrome. After raising over $10,000 in a successful 2011 Kickstarter campaign, his book?which effectively and emotionally captures a bygone New York?is finally out. First edition, signed copies are available on Herman's website; the book is also on Amazon. Below, check out a bunch of moving photographs from the monograph; but first, here's an explanation of the passionate, documentary-style project in Herman's own words:
It documents a New York that has now almost disappeared. At that time, these neighborhoods were a mixture of three distinct groups: the people who had lived and worked there for many years and had their ethnic background in common; the artists who came in search of affordable living and studio space; and finally the more well to-do who instigated the process of gentrification with the seemingly inevitable exile of the original inhabitants. It was a time when graffiti was an integral part of the landscape, and the clash of cultures created a cacophony of voices... These photos tell an authentic story of New York City: not a series of skyline cliches but real New Yorkers living and working in their own neighborhoods.
Intrigued? Herman is speaking about his book at the Soho Apple Store on June 18.
· Robert Herman: The New Yorkers [official]
· The New Yorkers [Amazon]
· The New Yorkers by Robert Herman [Kickstarter]
· More Flashbacks coverage [Curbed]
Loading comments...