The New York Times recently unearthed a trove of never-been-seen and never-been-published photos taken at parks across New York City in the summer of 1978 that speak volumes of a life completely uncurated and carefree.
The photos were taken by eight staff photographers of The New York Times who didn’t have anything to do for three months because of the newspapers strike in the city, namely, Neal Boenzi, Joyce Dopkeen, D. Gorton, Eddie Hausner, Paul Hosefros, Bob Klein, Larry Morris, and Gary Settle. These pool of photographers met with the city park’s commissioner at that time, Gordon J. Davis, and proposed that they wander about the city to take photos of the parks and the people in them.
Their photos were never published nor displayed until a conservancy official recently found two boxes with 2,924 color slides of New Yorkers bathing in the sun, eating popsicles, playing double dutch, and painting landscapes — a glimpse of how their life was like back in the day.
Out of these collection, 65 photos were selected and are now on display after four decades at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park from May 3 to June 14. “Admission to the exhibit, like parks and starlights, is free” and the gallery is open from Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Several people have commended The New York Times for putting out these photos and has even left most of people reminiscent of the past.
All these photos prove that photography has become “less about document or evidence and more about community and experience.”
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