“I found my way through life through the camera’s lens. I used it to record my feelings about the world. Still do."
~ Bruce Davidson
It’s hard to believe that Bruce’s Brooklyn Gang series is more than 60 years old. The photographs remain every bit as raw and powerful as the day they were first made. In the spring of 1959, Bruce met a group of Brooklyn teenagers who called themselves “The Jokers.” Their lives were anything but playful. At 25, Bruce was nearly a decade older than them, but over time they allowed him into their world. Like all great photojournalists, he became a trusted presence—almost invisible.
As Bruce recalled, “In time they allowed me to witness their fear, depression, and anger. I soon realized that I too was feeling some of their pain. In staying close to them, I uncovered my own feelings of failure, frustration and rage.”
This body of work stands as one of the great “coming of age” series in 20th-century photography. Bob Dylan must have felt the same resonance when he chose one of the images for the cover of his album Together Through Life. It’s about mood, coolness, emotion, and sexual vitality—qualities that transcend time and place to speak universally.
