One day, Jan Wein found some photographs.”For those of you who may not know the back story,” he tells us, “I lived in Manhattan in the 1980s when Ed Koch was mayor, before decamping to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I remain to this day.At that time you could find many discarded treasures on trash day. One day I scored a cache of Kodachrome slides of NYC shot in the 1950s. The slides are unmarked, so the photographer is unknown.”
Jan’s been sharing some of the many highlights from the collections for ages. And now we can share them with you…
Times Square, 1958, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown, personal:private collection of Jan Wein.
First Street and First Avenue
Al’s Bar – March 27, 1954 – location unknown. Found image, photographer unknown. From the personal:private collection of Jan Wein.
36th Street and 7th Avenue
“I lived in Manhattan in the 80s and always loved how a demolished building left a schematic layout on the side of the adjacent surviving building – imagining people moving within those spaces, up and down the stairs.”
Financial District and *Ferry* St being the cross street, view south on Cliff St 1967
Sullivan Street celebrating the Festival of St Anthony
Loews Movie Theater, 72nd Street, 1960. Kodachrome transparency rescued in 1980s – photographer unknown. From the personal:private collection of Jan Wein.
Fifth Avenue at 44th Street – found Kodachrome transparency, date unknown, photographer unknown, personal:private collection of Jan Wein.
Modern Art. Guggenheim Museum soon after it opened – 1960. Kodachrome transparency found in the trash in the 1980s. Photographer unknown. From the personal:private collection of Jan Wein.
Midtown at 5-00 PM. Early 1980s. Photo- Jan Wein
Another river view. USS Stockham, Navy Destroyer. Year unknown. Original photographer unknown. From the personal:private collection of Jan Wein.
Schmattes – W 36th Street, Found Kodachrome Transparency, Photographer unknown, Date unknown, Personal:private collection of Jan Wein
Sunday painter of a plein air composition of the pond in in Central Park. Found Kodachrome, photographer unknown, date likely the 1950s, personal, private collection of Jan Wein.
Riverview of Manhattan, found Kodachrome transparency, photographer unknown, date unknown, personal:private collection of Jan Wein.