Faces of New York: 50 Striking Color Photographs Capture Street Scenes of New York City in the 1970s

Sepp Werkmeister made his name as a leading jazz photographer of the 1960s and ‘70s. Traveling to the biggest and best concerts and festivals, he became a fixture in the community and counted among his subjects Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Oscar Peterson, among many others. Many of Werkmeister’s photographs were taken in New York City, home—then as now—to a thriving jazz scene.

While most photography and music enthusiasts will be familiar with Werkmeister’s photographs of jazz greats, the Munich-born photographer’s New York cityscapes—captured during the same period—remain an underappreciated pocket of activity.

(Photos by Sepp Werkmeister)