Frenetic Photos of New York Nightlife in the 1970s
1970s New York is a unique time in the city’s history; blackouts, crime, financial problems — the Big Apple was at a relatively low ebb. But for photographers, it was a rich resource.
Photographer Meryl Meisler says she had an epiphany while standing beneath a disco ball at a dance club in Bushwick. It was at that moment she realized that her photos of nightclubs and humble streetcorners could be shown together to tell the complex story of New York City.
And now, Meisler is having her first retrospective at CLAMP Gallery in the Flower District of the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan.
Meisler’s photos are chaotic and outrageous, full of big personalities. She does not shy away from the absurd and joyful, viewing the world through her “queer, quirky eye.”
Meisler was a public school teacher for 31 years and has only just begun revealing her extensive photo archive after she retired in 2010.
Les Mouches, NY, NY, June 1978.
Her photos are not just party folks dancing hard at Studio 54. Meisler’s retrospective also includes photographs taken recently as well as personal photos of herself and her mom.
Simply Scintillating: A Retrospective will be at CLAMP gallery until November 4. For more information, visit the gallery’s website.
