![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwPp614No3rkpgraAwzIJNyhU0QG8gr3hwHxY3nby93I09Og5xSG4f24BvPwMCT-QsoQjBBnHQ4JDd_EjZWfA3z_nhi52XxU1lmlKySQx5azRj5VYzf8FoWIATlnw30X6glceduIP7AS9E/s640/feb+1979.png)
[St.Mark's Place 1979]
Alex at Flaming Pablum uncovered a cache of photos from Patrick Cummins, a Canadian archivist. Of particular interest is his set of 250-plus photos on Flickr dubbed "NYC 78-83."
Let's quote Alex's post on the photos:
Everyone talks about how “gritty” New York City used to be, and it’s almost become this quaint little descriptor that people blithely toss around, but Cummins’ photographs hit you like a sooty, graffiti-slathered stone. His remarkably composed black and white shots of various city spaces can be chilling and stark, revealing a great city in decline. Suddenly, your eye fixes on some random architectural flourish or landmark, and you recognize the location. More than a few of these pictures had me positively gasping.
Here's a sampling of the photos from around these parts (his photos span from Harlem to Coney Island) …
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YTxFr1NUkw-IHuAweBw9lGJPLitg4onHHH38cLojqdgec96LnuswSdQMhyds1FPcvhA3QEjudOzizKzRSWVW8NwwZ1PB8ZVdfK2TKEY7VJ6h5x0P9yUzg0zPwS15L5O3zEfFYrx5sI2q/s640/looking+east+on+1979.png)
[Looking east on Union Square from 1979]
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY73Em3XW68a8MY6dNdAZAONAkgvsxwaociQ4x7AxVFGFFQXljQGDyCef1pTC2EdczXloEJAwzzU7RT4fDNGQXszIulIHO7ESj-zDB5hyphenhyphen59LQ1-ZXkdpO7_bYnWJ-ZR5DCHrKymWrninlF/s400/cbgb.png)
[Bleecker at the Bowery, undated]
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-9ahRK-gaOC0mawt_xE5MwKo0KBs2MmFwmAaA2e48k6MCNPd4xLw38blBuMPdJ_9WLDqjV0SlmNRl8_TsJpK5kbYb9ko5DyYd0GembzHXKdrwe1Ck5vVzIlZAn5VHB8xvifrvPZ7ueGm/s400/feb+1978.png)
[Crosby and Bleecker 1978]
Jeremiah posted a selection of Cummins' photos on Thursday at Vanishing New York.
Find this set and a lot more at Cummins' Flickr account.