Born 1944 in Santiago, Chilean-born, New York-based writer, photographer and documentarian Camilo José Vergara began as a humanistic New York street photographer in the early 1970s, when he moved to the city. He focused on the people who lived in the physically ruined neighborhoods.
About this early series, now called Old New York, Vergara later said: “The images of the physical communities in which people live often better reveal the choices made by residents and city officials over the long haul.”
The collection includes many of the remarkable time-lapse sequences that highlight single locations in Harlem and the Bronx in New York City; Camden and Newark in New Jersey; Chicago, Illinois; Gary, Indiana; Detroit, Michigan; and Los Angeles, California.
Take a look at these fascinating photos taken by Camilo José Vergara to see how New York City has changed from the 1970s.
(Photos © Camilo José Vergara)
About this early series, now called Old New York, Vergara later said: “The images of the physical communities in which people live often better reveal the choices made by residents and city officials over the long haul.”
The collection includes many of the remarkable time-lapse sequences that highlight single locations in Harlem and the Bronx in New York City; Camden and Newark in New Jersey; Chicago, Illinois; Gary, Indiana; Detroit, Michigan; and Los Angeles, California.
Take a look at these fascinating photos taken by Camilo José Vergara to see how New York City has changed from the 1970s.
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| Avenue C, Lower East Side |
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| 1148 Longwood Avenue, Bronx |
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| 65 East 125th Street, Harlem |
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| 65 East 125th Street, Harlem |
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| 113 South Bronx |
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| Boy, Morrisania, South Bronx |
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| Bronx River, Bronx |
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| Cadillac Fleetwood, Harlem |
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| Eagle and Westchester Avenues, Bronx |
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| East 167th Street, South Bronx |
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| East Harlem |
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| East Harlem |
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| Fifth Ave at 110th Street, East Harlem |
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| Garage, Bushwick, Brooklyn |
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| Girls with Barbies, East Harlem |
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| Hoe Avenue at 172nd Street, Bronx |
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| Hunts Point, South Bronx |
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| Lexington Ave, Harlem |
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| Lower East Side music shop |
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| Lower East Side, Manhattan |
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| Lower East Side, Manhattan |
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| Militant display window, Bushwick, Brooklyn |
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| On the way to Harlem |
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| Puerto Rican wedding, East Harlem |
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| Social Club sign, South Bronx |
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| South Bronx |
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| South Bronx |
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| View of Lower Manhattan from the Manhattan Bridge |
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| View of the World Trade Center under construction from Duane Street |
(Photos © Camilo José Vergara)
