NEW YORK CITY HOUSING PROJECTS IN WINTER 1980 Gelatin Silver Photograph

This original 5 x 7 black and white photograph was taken and developed in 1980 by Thomas Schmidler in New York City. The image presents a stark winter scene of urban housing projects, their brick facades rising above snow-covered ground. Rows of parked cars line the lot, while two small figures in the distance emphasize the scale of the surrounding architecture. Bare trees in the foreground add texture and depth, framing the scene in sharp contrast against the geometric forms of the buildings.

Schmidler’s photography often documented the quiet, everyday moments of city life with a painter’s sense of composition. This hand-developed gelatin silver print captures the atmosphere of New York’s outer boroughs in winter, reflecting both the austerity and resilience of urban living. A powerful study in form, shadow, and human presence within the city’s built environment.

This is an original 1980 photograph taken and developed by my dad, Thomas Alan Schmidler in his darkroom.