People usually behave differently in front of the camera or when they know they are being watched—this is probably why photographer Irving I. Herzberg chose to shoot his subjects on the NYC subway in secret.
Taken during the 1960s and 1970s, Herzberg’s portraits of his fellow commuters provide a fascinating look at everyday scenes that took place on the subway decades ago.
From women applying makeup on one another, to lone riders reading the papers, these images—that froze random moments of life in New York City—are surprisingly intimate in some cases.
Allowing us to “spy on” people from the past, Herzberg’s ‘Subway Portraits’ are now collected at the Brooklyn Public Library, where you can also buy prints of them.
[via Buzz Feed]