A photographer has released old photos of the New York subway system from the 1970s and 1980s.

New York's famous subway system has amazed and annoyed its users for as long as it has been around. Graffiti artists and street photographers have lived there for years, but never more so than in the 1970s and 1980s. A subway ride was always a lesson in being careful because it was dirty and had a hint of danger. In fact, in 1979, the New York City subway was the scene of 250 serious crimes every week.

This inspired Swiss photographer Willy Spiller, who lived in New York and started taking pictures of the subway system in 1977 and did so for seven years to make a series that tells the story of the graffiti-covered New York subway.

In his book Hell on Wheels, he looks at his extensive collection of photos, which show the seedy side of New York during this critical time. Publisher Sturm & Drang says, "Willy Spiller's pictures are both a visual record of this unique place and a rhythmic, colorful poem to the city of New York and its people." Spiller took fewer subway photo trips to take pictures of the subway to get to his photo assignments. The pictures happened because he took pictures while a passenger, like everyone else.

More Info - Source

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.