Bill Cunningham: On the Street: Five Decades of Iconic Photography by The New York Times

Bill Cunningham: On the Street: Five Decades of Iconic Photography Reviews

• 
  Deborah

  4.5 stars rounded up. Bill Cunningham's candid photographs captured the fashions, trends, and real people on the streets of Manhattan from the 1970s until his death in 2016. Many were published in his "On the Street" column in the New York Times and other publications. He "wrote fashion criticisms and published photo essays in Details." As a photographic columnist who rode his bicycle everywhere through sunshine, wind, rain, and snow, he stated, "The best fashion show is on the street. Always has been. Always will be." He loved capturing people in rain and blizzards. "Things happen; people forget about you. If they see you, they don't go putting on airs. They're the way they are. Then you're in business."
  
  Bill took thousands and thousands of pictures and was meticulous in detailing his shots from the wind speed to inches of snow recorded and keeping the telephone messages and menus of associated photographs. Most of his pictures were never sold nor published. This book was created as a legacy of his work after combing through his prolific personal archives of images and their supplemental and backup material.
  
  He was more interested with the personal style of the outfit, how it was worn, or how an accessory was carried, than the wearer. However, he had over a dozen muses. He appreciated those who spent the money or made the outfits, not those who borrowed or showcased the apparel. "He cared for people who went above and beyond." To best catch the spirit of the moment, he preferred to be invisible.
  
  "Fashion is a mirror reflecting the culture." The images stirred up memories of the highs and lows of decades of fashion. I went from cringing to smiling in reminiscence of shoulder pads, animal prints, gaucho pants, prints, stripes, polka dots, paisleys, wearable art, jumpsuits, suspenders, oversized shirts, denim, Madonna wear, cinched waists, shredded and distressed jeans, leather jackets, all black attire, vests, plaids, and much more. As a former milliner, Bill loved hats. The canine ensemble, whether they matched their humans or not, were humorous.
  
  He penned, " I just try to play a straight game, and in New York that is very ... almost impossible." "To be honest and straight in New York, that's like Don Quixote fighting windmills." Another of his quotes, "Money is the cheapest thing. Liberty and freedom is the most expensive."
  
  This book is a fitting tribute to both Bill Cunningham's work and Manhattan's street fashion.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  Davina

  It was delightful to see so many of Cunningham's photos collected in a volume like this. You appreciate not only his talent for capturing candid street style but also the fascinating journey that fashion has taken over the last several decades.
• 
  Kristine

  A glorious paean to New York City...a love letter to its fashion-forward inhabitants. Cunningham's eye creates momentous pictures. This book made me smile. Made me consider the colors in my closet! Obviously created with an enduring deep affection for the man on the bicycle with a camera.
• 
  Kristin

  Outstanding collection of his photography over the decades, and the section on fashionable dogs & fashion during extreme weather were throughly unexpected and incredibly enjoyable. Bill has left an indelible mark on the New York art and fashion scene for generations to come.
• 
  Maggie

  Charming, witty bit of urban anthropology. 💙
• 
  Michelle Richter

  The Times did an admirable job of putting together this collection from what must be a gargantuan archive of Bill Cunningham's photos. What made his photos delightful was his juxtapositions, his sense of whimsy, his personality really, and I was happy to see that here even without his words.
• 
  Esther

  A true OG of all street style photographer. Prior to the decades of internet, blogs, apps, instagram, 5second fame is Bill Cunningham with his quick eyes and analog films. I especially love how he captured people during a snowstorm. “Their guards are down and you are in business”. All sorts of strange protective receptacles, jumping puddles actions, people falling over, holding onto poles, etc.
• 
  Laura Ann she-her

  This man is brilliant!
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  Jec

  absolutely AMAZING....
  if you are even remotely a bill cunningham fan DO NOT pass this book up
  it is a wonderful tribute to his work
  enjoy!!
• 
  Donna

  Oh, Bill Cunningham! I loved his photos and columns in the New York Times - trying never to miss one. In this book I revisited his "on the street" work. He was great at fashion photography, but he appeared to find shots of people on the streets especially engaging. This book features his street photos 1970s - 2010s.
  However, because of his fashion work in NYC and Paris, he knew all the designers and models and Vogue editor, Anna Wintour, many of the best-dressed women of New York City,along with famous actresses who liked couture clothes.
  Why is this L.L. Bean shopper, dressed most days in a crew-neck teeshirt and my favorite L.L. Bean pants, aptly named "Perfect Pants", interested in well-known NYC fashion photographer?
  Two reasons:
  1. Fashion photography, both couture and ordinary, was his passion. It was not a "job". In fact, he free-lanced for most of his career and it took coaxing before he would agree to have a regular column in the New York Times. That was only because when elderly, and after being hit by a vechicle, he needed health insurance.
  2. It's rare to find a creative professional as true to himself as he was. He lived extremely simply, and dressed very simply, (He wore the same blue workman's jacket most days. The fashion world folks named it Bill Blue.) He rode a bicycle, refused social invitations from the fashion world folks, many of whom liked and respected him and chose to focus his life on fashion and beauty.
  If you are curious about him,, read the Wikipedia entry on him.
  A favorite form of reading for me since childhood is biographies. I don't care though whether or not there is a good one on Cunningham; his photography and columns show me who he was.
  This book is huge in format and very heavy because of the paper needed to show the photos well.
• 
  Shelby Rush

  My rating has more to do with my bias: fashion photography isn't terribly appealing to me, though I do enjoy street photography. The book itself is beautifully executed. So kudos to the folks who put this hefty baby together. I love that there isn't a ton of text, that the captions actually explain the photos.
  
  The photos themselves, like I mentioned, are not to my taste. However, I have great admiration for Bill's enthusiasm: he spent decades building a portfolio themed to the odd and extravagant fashions he spotted on the streets of New York City. The man sure was dedicated. Too, I appreciate his sense of humor. Surely, he saw how silly people's fashion sense can be, when they have too much money and too few sensibilities.
  
  I kept thinking if they truly wanted to stand out AND look fantastic, they should have gone to tailors who specialized in constructing reproductions from the 1890s through the 1950s. Vintage -- now that's where it's at!
  
  If you're into fashion, this compilation will easily be a 4.5/5 for you.
• 
  Magdalena

  I got this book for my birthday, which is on Christmas day. What better gift could I get? This is a great summary of Bill Cunningham's pictures from five decades and shows what an impeccable eye he had for trends and details. The accompanying texts are relevant and shows something of this elusive, and highly independent photographer. It is also a beautiful book covered in blue cloth, reminding of the blue smocks Bill Cunningham frequently wore, and printed on thick art paper. This is a book to read and re-read, and where I've kept on noticing details, and been able to remember what I wore myself during those decades.
  
  Bill Cunningham: On the Street, is highly commendable for everyone interested in the evolution of trends, and how they have appeared on the stylish people making the scene sashaying down the New York city's streets, and gathering in all the smart watering holes.
• 
  Sandra de Helen

  A huge tome of photography by the fashion documentarian Bill Cunningham, this book contains many previously unpublished photos, and unretouched photos of those he previously published but cropped. I was a fan of his photos for years, always looking for NYC fashion on the streets as seen through his eyes. He was once a hat maker, always a fashion enthusiast, and a relentless photographer. NY women always posed for him, often dressed for him in hopes he would spot them and feature them in his NY Times column. This book is a treasure trove of fashion through the decades, on the streets of New York.
• 
  kglibrarian (Karin Greenberg)

  A delightful compilation of Bill Cunningham's photographs, mainly from him New York Times column but also including some from his own archives. Each section begins with an essay from someone with whom he interacted, such as Anna Winter or Guy Trebay, and provides an interesting commentary on the decade and its fashion and cultural stand outs.
  
  I loved looking through the photos and reading about New York City as it evolved throughout the years.
  
  
• 
  Cyndy

  The shoes! The hair! The colors! Do people really dress like this? Apparently, in NYC they do (Paris, too, I guess). This was a fun book to peruse while having my morning coffee. It was interesting to see all the styles starting with the 70's. You can tell many of these people have a lot of dollars to spend on fashion while others are just putting together whatever they have lying around. I especially loved seeing a very young Anna Wintour. She looked so happy in the 70's!
• 
  Bridget

  I love Bill Cunningham's photography; his attention to detail, the humor in his shots are wonderful. I pored over every page!
  
  If you like him too, check out the documentary about him with the same title as this book (released in 2011).
  
  The world lost a special person with a keen eye and a humble spirit when he died.
• 
  Blair

  Confession - I was totally ignorant about who Bill Cunningham was. I saw "street" and assumed he was a street photographer. And he is. After a fashion. More accurately, he is was a NYT fashion columnist who took pictures. Must admit that most of the pictures were not super appealing to me. Those interested in seeing NYC fashion in the street should grab this book; I shouldn't have.
• 
  Kaden Beilman

  a deep dive into one of the best to ever do it. Includes some never-published photos, contacts showing full images before his obsessive cropping, insights Mr. Cunningham was quick to develop. The emergence of the sneaker in high fashion is a big one that gets written about a few times through the book. interesting stuff.
• 
  Matt

  Loved this anthology! Bill has a really fun perspective in his street photography. The material is unexpectedly joyful with a sense of humor tempering the vivid colors, compositions, and eye-catching styles across the years. Maybe the first time I’ve ever actively engaged with fashion as a subject, and for that I’m grateful to this book and artist.
• 
  John

  A half century of street fashion occasionally (& too often) interrupted by fashion fashion. It is lavish in presentation and light on praise from others for what is obvious to the eye: Bill's curatorial sense
• 
  Brainard

  This made me want to see more, I am such a fan of his and this book feels like something is missing. The images are great but out of context of his layouts and he wrote a memoir? I’d love to see more...
• 
  Linda Atkinson

  Five decades of fashion captured on the streets. Oh boy-o, yes we did.
• 
  Diana

  Bill Cunningham’s wonderful photography both posed and candid from the 1970s on.
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  Kirsti

  Five decades of street fashion, photographed by the expert.
• 
  Marta Wright

  Wow, he was such a treasure. The work lives on.