Photographs taken in New York more than fifty years ago by Mark Cohen are published for the first time in Tall Socks. In July 1973, Cohen spent a month living in a New York University residence while attending a filmmaking workshop. His daily classes were brief, leaving him plenty of time to wander the city with his camera. Only a small number of photographs were printed at the time, while the vast majority remained unseen as negatives until now.
New York in the 1970s was known for its high crime rates, social unrest, deteriorating public transport, and declining quality of life. Economic stagnation had taken a heavy toll on the city, prompting many middle-class residents to relocate to the suburbs. These conditions are often reflected in Cohen's photographs through graffiti-covered walls, littered streets, and urban decay. Yet his images also reveal a vibrant, energetic city full of movement and unexpected encounters. Although the book is not arranged as a conventional narrative, its sequencing evokes the sensation of walking through New York alongside the photographer. Each block, each street corner, and every passing moment offers new observations and visual surprises. Some photographs carry an underlying sense of tension, from the wary glance of a stranger to the ominous atmosphere of subway stations, while others introduce moments of humour and delight: a child's tall socks, a woman adorned with peacock feathers, an incongruous elephant, or a young girl carrying a wooden plank across a cobbled street.
Mark Cohen has been making photographs since the age of fourteen and is best known for his work in his hometown of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he developed the habit of simply stepping outside and letting the streets provide his subject matter. He never felt the need to travel far, finding endless possibilities in the everyday life unfolding around him. He approached his brief stay in New York with exactly the same philosophy. All he had to do was walk.
Cohen's photographic language is instantly recognizable. Holding his camera at hip level, he photographs instinctively, often from extremely close range. This unconventional approach gives his pictures a distinctive perspective, as though the world were being observed from a child's height. His attention is drawn to overlooked details, fragmented bodies, unexpected angles, doorways, and fleeting gestures that most people would pass without noticing. Through this unique way of seeing, the familiar becomes both fresh and strangely unfamiliar, revealing the extraordinary within the ordinary.
