‘New York was a very different place in the 1980s.’ →

Richard Conway, writing for TIME Lightbox:

Over a six-month period in 1981, Morris embedded himself in the world below, sometimes riding the trains alone, other times riding with the Guardian Angels volunteer anti-crime group. He’d hang out with groups of teens riding trains at night, and show up in the early morning to catch work-bound commuters.

Using ektachrome film and a magenta filter to offset the florescent lights, Morris found interesting subjects in the relatively safe commuting space of midtown Manhattan, further north in the Bronx, and the eastern wilds of Brooklyn.

The photos are amazing. The NYC captured in them is unrecognizable from the NYC of today.

/via Daring Fireball