About This Series

In 1972, a patient from Milton Rogovin's optometric office invited him to visit her home, just a few blocks from his office. Milton was captivated by the home and community. The Lower West Side series evolved as he and Anne began photographing the six square block area. This marked the beginning of a major three decades long study. The Lower West Side series evolved into Doubles, Triptychs and Quartets. The neighborhood was ethnically diverse, including African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Native Americans, and Italians. Every weekend Milton and Anne would return to the Lower West Side and photograph the people in the neighborhood. They got to meet and photograph people in their homes, in their backyards, and on street corners. When the Rogovins returned to photograph, they brought back images printed from the week before.

Related Publications

• Triptychs, Buffalo's Lower West Side Revisited, W.W. Norton, 1994

• From the Western Door to the Lower West Side, White Pine Press, 2009. Native American poet Eric Gansworth weaves his poetry with Milton Rogovin's Native American series.

• Picture Man: the Poetry of Photographer Milton Rogovin, [DVD] 19 min. 23 sec, 70 photographs, 17 poems, 2009

• Milton Rogovin: The Lens & the Pen: Photographs and Poems, Published by Palisade Press, 2009

• Milton Rogovin: The Forgotten Ones, University of Washington Press, 1985; Quantuck Lane Press, 2003

• The Bonds Between Us: Family Portraits From Around The World, White Pine Press, 2001

• Milton Rogovin: The Making of a Social Documentary Photographer, University of Washington Press and the Center for Creative Photography, September 30, 2006

For curriculum and a folio download of the Lower West Side series, as well as a history of the neighborhood written by JoAnn Wypijewski, please visit the education page.