Street People

Invisible New York Made Visible

New York City, 1970s. Take a walk on the wild side.

In Street People: Invisible New York Made Visible, spellbinding stories and iconic images combine to create a rare glimpse into a world hiding in plain sight.

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 danced with despair.

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.

Step into these extraordinary lives.

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 strikingly illustrated account of this turbulent time and its forgotten people.

Witness invisible New York made visible.