West Side Rag
  • TOP NEWS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT US
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT
West Side Rag
No Result
View All Result
SUPPORT THE RAG

Search the site

No Result
View All Result
Get WSR FREE in your inbox
SUPPORT THE RAG

Throwback Thursday: The ‘Broadway Ladies’ of the Late 70s

August 15, 2019 | 1:26 PM
in HISTORY
5

The photo and hand-coloring above are by Joan Menschenfreund, who has lived on the Upper West Side for 51 years. The women were sitting in the Broadway median at 79th Street. She painted it “with transparent oils, after developing it with a bit of a sepia bath.”

Joan explains her inspiration below.

“I love my Broadway Ladies, probably shot in the late ’70’s. I was a young photographer working as an art editor at a book publishing company. Street photography was big at the time and I was trying to be arty and combine painting with black and white photography. Those benches along Broadway near the Apthorp and Zabars were always filled with locals.  So were the park benches on Central Park West. Lots of conversation as they sat and watched people go by. Look at the way the ladies are dressed…they never went out without their hats, stockings and heeled shoes. It was very reassuring and middle class, like so much of the neighborhood back then. I, in my jeans, probably thought I was too hip to ever really age. And now I’m nearly their age…but still wearing jeans and sneakers!”

To participate in Throwback Thursday, please send us a photo, preferably by email to westsiderag@gmail.com. The subject line of the email should be “Throwback Thursday.” In the email include the photo and a brief description of who is in it and where it’s taken and when.

The best way to send an older photo, if you don’t have your images scanned, is to scan them into your computer or take a photo of the photo with a phone. We’re not looking for perfect clarity, just a good sense of the image and some information. If this isn’t an option email us and we’ll figure out how to get a digital version of the image. (And yes, we’ll even accept photos from after 2000.)

Check out our other Throwback Thursday posts here.

Share this article:
SUPPORT THE RAG
guest

guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

5 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Amateur Sleuth...no, NOT Sloth
Amateur Sleuth...no, NOT Sloth
5 years ago

Re: “Menschenfreund”

Great name! AND, according to “Google Translate”, it means “philanthropist”.

Wouldn’t it be fascinating to trace her family or her husband’s family history going back centuries.

0
Reply
Joan M.
Joan M.
5 years ago
Reply to  Amateur Sleuth...no, NOT Sloth

My grandparents came from a shtetl in what is now the Ukraine. My grandfather managed to keep his name intact going through Ellis Is. in about 1907. They were not at all wealthy and our family hasn’t been able to trace the origin of our name.

0
Reply
Sally R. Sacks
Sally R. Sacks
5 years ago

Those same ladies were there in the 40’s, when I was growing up on 86th Street.

0
Reply
Billy Amato
Billy Amato
5 years ago

Sally, Those same ladies are still there!
Cross the street from Chase 79/B’way.

0
Reply
AC
AC
5 years ago

this is more like early 1970’s – the drycleaners next to the Greater NY Savings Bank.

0
Reply

YOU MIGHT LIKE...

Plenty of Pride to Go Around on the Upper West Side
COLUMNS

Plenty of Pride to Go Around on the Upper West Side

June 21, 2025 | 6:29 AM
For an UWS Descendant of a Blacklisted Actor, A New Exhibit on the Red Scare Feels Timely
ART

For an UWS Descendant of a Blacklisted Actor, A New Exhibit on the Red Scare Feels Timely

June 18, 2025 | 1:28 PM - Updated on June 19, 2025 | 9:54 AM
Previous Post

Openings & Closings: Sneaker Pawn, Trek, Tani Shoes, Fred Marcus Studio, Get Smart 99 Cents, Kitchenette

Next Post

Book Culture Is No Longer in ‘Imminent Danger’ of Closing, But Is Now Facing Pressure From Publishers

this week's events image
Next Post
Local Rabbi Clashes With Book Culture Over Children’s Book

Book Culture Is No Longer in ‘Imminent Danger’ of Closing, But Is Now Facing Pressure From Publishers

Searching For A Music School In The Upper West Side? Look No Further Than Your Own Front Door

Searching For A Music School In The Upper West Side? Look No Further Than Your Own Front Door

MORNING BULLETIN: HUGE JUMP IN GIFTED KIDS, HEADLESS CHICKENS FOUND IN CENTRAL PARK

Broadway Subway Line Is Completely Shutting Down for Next 2 Weekends on UWS; How To Navigate the Changes

  • ABOUT US
  • CONTACT US
  • NEWSLETTER
  • WSR MERCH!
  • ADVERTISE
  • EVENTS
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • SITE MAP
Site design by RLDGROUP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • TOP NEWS
  • THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
  • OPEN/CLOSED
  • FOOD
  • SCHOOLS
  • OUTDOORS
  • REAL ESTATE
  • ART & CULTURE
  • POLITICS
  • COLUMNS
  • CRIME
  • HISTORY
  • ABSURDITY
  • ABOUT
    • OUR STORY
    • CONTRIBUTORS
    • CONTACT US
  • WSR SHOP

© 2025 West Side Rag | All rights reserved.