New York In The '70s: The Photos
An unfiltered and (mostly) unsentimental look at New York City's grittier era
HBO's latest drama The Deuce portrays New York City in the 1970s, a tumultuous decade that saw crime soar, a blackout darken the city, and the president of the United States tell the city (in so many words) to drop dead. These 50 images offer a glimpse into the city and the people living there during this turbulent era—from the X-rated movie theatres in Times Square to the artists and everyday residents who gave the city a unique vibrancy.
The Gay Pride parade in Times Square in 1973.
Radio City Music Hall in 1977.
Debbie Harry, lead singer of the band Blondie, on the beach at Coney Island in 1976.
The Avon Theatre near Times Square, famous for its X-rated films, in a photo from January 1972.
A porn shop with cinema and live shows in the Times Square area in October 1975.
A jazz band plays on the back of a truck as it drives through the streets of Harlem in the summer of 1970.
A porn shop with films and live shows near Times Square in 1975.
A large Christmas peace message from John Lennon and Yoko Ono on a billboard in Times Square in 1971.
The painter Nobu Fukui plays ping pong during a party in his live-in work loft in SoHo in 1971.
Four boys play atop the hood of an abandoned car on a street in the South Bronx in May 1972.
The Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline lit up at dusk in 1973.
Women march down Fifth Avenue as a part of the Women's Equality March on August 26, 1970.
The band New York Dolls in 1978.
Jackie Curtis, an actress, writer and singer who appeared in several Andy Warhol films, in Times Square in 1975.
The Village People at Madison Square Garden in June 1979.
A store clerk arranges Elvis Presley records at a music store in 1977.
The Rolling Stones on a flatbed truck outside Fifth Avenue Hotel on May, 1 1975. The Stones held a portable, if brief, concert from 12th to Ninth Streets.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono with attorney Leon Wildes as they leave the Immigration and Naturalization Service at 20 W. Broadway in 1972.
A subway car at the 145th Street station in 1973.
A night view of Broadway Avenue and Times Square in 1970.
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