Wednesday, April 13, 2011

NYC '75 by DeWolf

Nick DeWolf worked in semiconductors, doing things I will never comprehend. He also designed fountains. But I found him through his 1975 photographs of New York City, lovingly and painstakingly collected on Flickr by his archivist Steve Lundeen. Thanks to Steve and Nick's wife Maggie for granting me permission to reprint a few of the photos here.

I was most taken by the shots in Times Square. Here's one of an "On Stage Live Continuous" Magic Theatre:


photo: Nick DeWolf, 1975, flickr

There are several photos of a depressive bunch of anti-pornography demonstrators and their colorful signs:


photo: Nick DeWolf, 1975, flickr

And more of a free-wheeling film crew that seems to be floating in the air of 1970s Times Square:


photo: Nick DeWolf, 1975, flickr

There are many, many photos here to look through. Most are not of New York City, but plenty are. Take some time to browse and, when you do, be sure not to miss: the shots inside the subway, the lights of Times Square at night, a bunch of groovy people waiting to cross the street, and an amazing lady in pink.


(Special Note: For lovers of mid-century computational technology and office life, you must check out the 1950's "Transitron" sets, with enough photos of early computers and guys in thick glasses to choke a horse.)

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing, great pics--his non-NY photos are terrific too...

Mykola ( Mick) Dementiuk said...

You know one way to recapture and experience that seedy sexual Times Square world is the pages that I have written in Stallers and my other works. The lovely depravity is still there in just the way it was, wasted semen dribbling out of mouths or hands and washed away into toilet bowls. What a life...

http://www.MykolaDementiuk.com
Lambda Literary Awards Winner 2009/Bisexual Fiction
"Mykola Dementiuk deserves the title of the Bard of Times Square" from Reviews by Amos Lassen

Laura Goggin Photography said...

Wow, that's a tremendous archive - perfect for trawling on a drizzly afternoon!

esquared™ said...

this lady in pink, f^%* no. that one you referred to, f#{^ yeah!

great find, nonetheless...

Jeremiah Moss said...

VERY different ladies in pink. somewhere in the past decade, pink went evil.

Grand St. said...

Amazing pics, and an incredible time capsule of Spring 1975. DeWolf had a better season than Rick Barry.

City Of Strangers said...

Jeremiah - Wow, fabulous pics. Really capture the feel of a different era. One thing among many I'm struck by is how thin everybody is. And how blue collar Manhattan was in that era. What a ways we've come . . .

t.

Caleo said...

I agree with City of Strangers. I grew up in the 70's and looking at old pix reminds me just how thin everyone was. Even middle aged men had much less bulk than now. Something switched in the mid 80's or so, and Americans started gaining weight in all age groups.
Probably the addition of High Fructose Corn Syrup to just about everything under the sun played a part.
Anyway, fantastic photos.

James Taylor said...

I spent two hours yesterday afternoon trawling through these photos in my office. It's incredible how much has changed, and how much hasn't. It's true that Manhattan still appears very blue-collar, and "normal" (whatever that means). It's also striking how people looked a lot more "ethnic" that they do today.

It's a particularly interesting moment in history: looking at the styles and the graphics you can still taste the freewheelin' sixties but smell the commercialized glamour of the eighties fast-approaching.

Looking at these photos I was imagining "Blood On The Tracks", "The Hissing Of Summer Lawns" or "Born To Run" (all of which were released in 1975) playing out an apartment or car window.