By Stephen Harmon
I loved taking candid and portrait photos of the people I saw and met on the streets of the Upper West Side in the 1970s and 80s who were smoking cigarettes or cigars. I was fascinated by the way they lit them, held them, or let them dangle from their lips. Here are the last of my photos from the theme of “The Smokers.”
I hope you find something to enjoy.
Stephen Harmon is a longtime Upper West Sider, a retired lawyer, and a world-class photographer whose work is on display in many of the city’s museums, including The Museum of the City of New York, The Brooklyn Museum, New York Historical, and The New York Public Library.
Check out our audio interview with Stephen Harmon on Rag Radio — HERE.
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Should rename this “Litterbugs on the UWS”
Now all the streets smell like pot.
They smelled like pot back then too
Much prefer to smell pot than cigs!
And parks. Where smoking is illegal.
Love these documenting an era gone. A line for the pay phone. Fayva shoes. Rolled hair. Bell Telephone bag. So much visual history! Thanks for sharing
I loved the “It’s for you” line on the side of the Bell Telephone bag. It’s as if the phone rang, someone picked it up, and passed it on to another person, saying “it’s for you.”
The FAYVA caught my eye as well !!
You are a treasure, Mr. Harmon. Keep the photographs coming!
Three of the photos are fellas looking at the racing form.
OTB on 72nd and Broadway brought out many a distinguished New York sportsman. My preschool bus driver used to park our big, yellow school bus right in front of OTB and leave us there, engine idling, to run in and make his bets for the day. And no one thought that was strange, least of all our parents. 1973 was messed up.
As usual, great photos. And also great that all those smokers are now mostly a historical reference as there are thankfully only a few on the street. There’s a guy on my block who sits on a tree barrier to smoke everyday likely because he’s not allowed to smoke in the apartment.
Cue the pearl clutchers. “OMG smoking!”
I kind of miss those carefree days before we thought about things being unhealthy!
The hair and hats!!
Try being a smoker now everyone and they mother gives you a hard time.
As they should!
Little heavy with the USM around the guy with the open newspaper.
University of Southern Maine?
OPOD:
UnSharpMask.
Consider contexts.
In this day and age, anyone that actually smokes cigarettes cigars or marijuana is an absolute idiot. Knowing what we know about heart disease and lung cancer these people are a burden on our health system. Taxing them doesn’t seem to matter. They will pay any price for a pack. The smell of cigarettes and the clouds of pot smoke on the upper West side are a serious health hazard to the rest of us that have a brain.
smoking pot does not cause heart disease or lung cancer. sorry you don’t like the smell.
You must be fun at parties.
Amazing….. You couldn’t find actors that look this way today.
That’s quite an impressive coiffure in the last photo.
These look like “before and after” photos of smokers. Young fit folks start out oblivious to the effects of cigarettes and think they make them look cool. Cut to a few decades later where the faces and bodies of the addicted smokers are weathered and worn.