Rare Photos of NYC's Gritty Subway Conditions in 1981
by Katie Hosmer
In the 1980s, the New York City subway was a gritty center for gangs and crime. The trains were covered with graffiti and being a passenger alone late at night was not recommended. But, in 1981, fearless young photographer Christopher Morris wasn't deterred by the frequent violence and harsh conditions.
Only 22-years-old at the time, Morris was working as an intern at photo agency Black Star and was determined to make something of himself as a photographer. So, without hesitation, he ventured underground to document the NYC experiences through his lens. This captivating series depicts the poorly lit cars, the dirty windows, and the overall decrepit conditions of New York's underground transportation.
Today, the award-winning photojournalist is also a contract photographer for TIME. According to the agency, the recently rediscovered photographs "provide a window on a long-gone New York, a metropolis that once pulsed with a very different energy—a frenetic, dangerous tone—than one feels in most of the city's neighborhoods today. But even back then, as Morris' pictures attest, Gotham remained an always fascinating and, at times, disarmingly beautiful place."
Many more photos here.
Too bad he wasn't able to document the occasional car fire, which was all too common on the decrepit East Side IRT line. And of course the images would be greatly enhanced if they could capture the smells too.
ReplyDeleteLate 1981 was a great time for smells in the city, not just on the subway. The Teamsters' December garbage strike left mountains of plastic bags filled with rotting trash. Better still were the enterprising youth who realized they could get the plastic bags to burn. I remember leaving work at 1 State Street late one night to see huge piles of burning trash scatter their acrid black plumes over the junkies, pushers, hobos, and whores in Battery Park.
DeBlasio has his work cut out for him, but if anyone can bring back those good old days, he's the man for it.
I don't wish anything bad on anyone, but it will be interesting to see how the limousine liberal set reacts to his policies.
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