Janette Beckman’s New York street photography captures Puerto Rican pride and everyday grit

A photo essay by Janette Beckman documents New York City street life from the 1990s to the present, featuring subjects like the Puerto Rican Day parade, Irish step dancers, boxers outside Gleason’s Gym, and a kid with a boom box on the Lower East Side. Beckman, who teaches a street portrait class at the School of Visual Arts, describes wandering the city with her Hasselblad camera, approaching strangers for portraits. The images include the Judah family boxers in Brooklyn (2000), Minnie in her Easter hat in Harlem (2015), and the ‘Twin Towers’ (Ronald & Dino) after haircuts at Astor Place barbershop (1990). The essay, published by The Guardian, highlights the diversity and ‘flava’ of New York, with Beckman noting that people were ‘real’ and genuine. The collection spans from 1992 to 2025, including a 2025 shot of a newspaper sock in Midtown.