These photographs were taken by William Gedney, who was born in New York in 1932 and moved to Brooklyn in 1951 to attend the Pratt Institute of Art. Gedney’s works reveal his passionate interest in portraiture, street and night photography, and human nature.
Gedney died of AIDS in 1989. His work, however, was sadly unappreciated during his lifetime. It was not until after his death that Gedney’s creation gained momentum and is now widely recognized.
Take a look through these 11 fascinating vintage black-and-white photographs capturing life in Brooklyn in the 1970s:
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Coney Island, 1975.
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| Coney Island, 1975. |
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| West Indian day, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, September 1975. |
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| West Indian day, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, September 1975. |
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Brooklyn, 1975.
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| Brooklyn, 1975. |
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| Youth taking part in the annual march in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, circa 1977. |
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| West Indian day, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, September 1978. |
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| West Indian day, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, September 1978. |
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Religious group in Coney Island, 1979.
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| Religious group in Coney Island, 1979. |
(via
Duke University Libraries)
Gedney is widely recognized simply because he was gay. His photography is recognized as being quite pedestrian and consequently mundane. Do not equate one with the other.
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