Gangs of New York

Beautiful yet tragic pictures from Bruce Davidson's photo essay of Brooklyn Gang "The Jokers". Taken in 1959 after befriending the gang and becoming immersed in their culture, he captures the evocative cool of 1950s America on the edge of a cultural revolution. These pictures manage to give a sense of toughness and innocence of the gang, to which many of them came to sad endings through drugs and violence. Truly haunting, magnificent images.