14 Amazing Portraits Of New Yorkers In The Bad Old 1980s

Recently we dusted off some of Steven Siegel's old photos from 1980s New York City, showing the five boroughs during what many dub The Bad Old Days. Sure, things looked grim and downright apocalyptic in that series of images, but there was some life here, too. Here's another collection of photographs from Seigel's archives, showing New Yorkers in the 1980s, mugging for his camera. Click through for a glimpse at the faces of those living here back in those Bad Old Days, and we'll have more from Siegel in the near future.

While specific locations and years aren't known for some of the photos, they were all taken in NYC in the 1980s.

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By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment on January 26, 2012 3:20 PM

Comments [rss]

D.B

Back in the days of "Quarter Waters, Cabbage Patch Kids, 10 cent Now&Later, Jingles, Bonton's ,hot summer days with every Hydrant blasting, The Subway Smell, ( You Know What I Mean) The "Whine" of the bus as it sped by and the black sut cloud that came out the back , Going school shopping for them five outfits that everybody in your school rocked with pride . High Top Fades, The "S-Curl" , Waves, Them Skinny Jeans, House Parties were cats dressed nice . Brings back some of the good memories of the past .

Shinsuke Ikeda

Fuck hipstamatic.

dogbertt

It is amazing how proudly physically unattractive New Yorkers were. Couldn't he have found some decent-looking people to photograph?

Jax

#6 the pedestrain crossing figures look obese.

Curtis Jensen

Who knew there were Hillbillies in New York?

macmcc

I've never been to NYC, but that's exactly the way I picture it in my mind.

Ann

They remind me of snapshots just stuck in the bottom of an old shoebox, dragged out and scanned. I don't remember it that grungy, but I was in my teens/20s in the 80s. But this is either trying too hard, or the stuff you do to kill the end of a roll so you can mail it off to Mystic.

birdtird

i don't kno if anybody said this already, but big fat up's to the gaseteria my nigga

canofpeas

NYC back then was like a Fellini movie. After the damage inflicted by Koch, Giuliani and Bloomberg, it's morphed into a mediocre daytime drama.

ElvisShalit

Though it wasnt as nice as today, the people were real characters. The trains were filthy and the underpass under Astor place was totally tagged and smelled awful.

"Tim Osman"

Those were the days! These are the days! New York, New York it's one helluva of a fuckin town!!!

Freddi BuBu

3rd pic: This looks like something out of the Appalachia in the 60-70s - NYC kids don't look and dress like that.....

Gwinny

awesome to see the old Gaseteria on Houston Street in the background of that last photo.

virgilstarkwell

some nice photos... but you do realize that just because it's a picture of a person, that doesn't automatically make it a portrait, right?

robingee

I keep thinking the 80's were not that long ago. Hey remember the 90's? Now THAT was when New York was a thing with stuff... not like NOW with the stuff we have now!

airtech1

#8 and #10 is something out of a Bruce Davidson album. Amazing.

Tim Schreier

Bravo for Gothamist! Steven's work in capturing the era is nothing short of brilliant! Thank you for recognizing this amazing photographer and archivist. I have been a huge fan of Steven's stuff for years now and I am so happy to see it getting out there! Thank you for doing this!!! He deserves to be recognized!!!
Tim Schreier
New York, NY