See Striking Photos of Harlem Street Life in the 1930s

1 minute read

By the late 1930s, Harlem was a bustling cultural center, home to two thirds of New York City’s African-American population. The Harlem Renaissance, a robust period of literary and artistic expression, had helped put the neighborhood on the map, and a walk through its streets revealed stately houses of worship like the Abyssinian Baptist Church, a thriving music scene centered around the newly-minted Apollo Theater and esteemed institutions like the Amsterdam News.

But as much as energy poured from behind those establishments’ doors, life was just as vibrant, if not more so, on the streets directly outside them—and that is exactly where LIFE’s Hansel Mieth took her camera while on assignment for the magazine in 1938. Mieth, whose photos of the neighborhood mostly ended up on the cutting-room floor for a sweeping story called “Negroes,” photographed boys watching grown men play checkers while women watched from second-floor windows. She trained her lens on moments both quiet and kinetic—women examining a fruit seller’s wares on the sidewalk, children marching in stride in local parades—to capture the spirit of a place in time.

Harlem street scene, 1938.
A young girl walks down the street in Harlem, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Harlem street scene, 1938.
Two boys play-fight while other children look on, Harlem, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Harlem street scene, 1938.
Young boys talk over the day's news, Harlem, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Harlem street scene, 1938.
Boys play a makeshift game of pool on a Harlem street, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Harlem street scene, 1938.
A citrus stand is set up on a Harlem street, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Harlem street scene, 1938.
A musician takes a break between songs, Harlem, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Harlem street scene, 1938.
Men face off in stiff competition as boys look on, Harlem, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Harlem street scene, 1938.
Harlem residents look on at an event taking place just outside the frame, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Harlem street scene, 1938.
Children on a Harlem street, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Harlem street scene, 1938.
Children march in a local parade in Harlem, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
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Three young boys hold hands, Harlem, 1938.Hansel Mieth—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

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Write to Eliza Berman at eliza.berman@time.com