New York City, 1970s. Take a walk on the wild side.
1970s New York was a mecca for artists, writers, and musicians drawn to its vibrant energy and creative possibilities. It was also a place of grinding poverty and urban decay, where crime and violence were everyday realities, and hope freely mingled with despair. In Street People: Invisible New York Made Visible, words and pictures dovetail to create a rare glimpse of a world hiding in plain sight.
Prowl the nighttime streets with Margie — the drag queen who inspired more than fifty works by Andy Warhol — and Romeo, part-time mugger, full-time philosopher, and king of the corner of West 98th Street and Broadway. Set up shop at the crack of dawn with Morris as he assembles New York’s oldest newsstand, then spend the day with the denizens of his street corner society. Slip downtown and ride shotgun with amateur pimp and prostitute Frankie and Cookie on their first night out. Cross the bridge into Brooklyn to bear witness to Edward, the self-appointed Second Coming of Christ, here to bring down destruction on the human race.
This timeless portrayal of life on the margins is accompanied by stark black-and-white images that expose the grit and beauty of a city at its most raw and real. Experience this classic, strikingly illustrated account of New York City’s forgotten people. Witness invisible New York made visible.
