Untitled (40046)

1959

Brooklyn Gang: Untitled (40046), 1959. Bruce Davidson (American, b. 1933). Gelatin silver print; paper: 27.9 x 35.6 cm (11 x 14 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of an anonymous donor 2018.680 © Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos In the 1950s, almost every residential block in New York had a candy store that served as community center, soda fountain, and newsstand, with a pay phone. Helen’s Candy Store was the Jokers’ home away from home. “Helen was like our mother,” recalled gang member Bob Powers. Most of the members were 15 or 16 years old. Over the years, some members died from cirrhosis, drugs, and shootings, but others went on to become police officers, a clerk for the state supreme court, an electrician, a transit worker, a hospital administrator, and a singer. One of Davidson’s best-known series, Brooklyn Gang was inspired by a news story he read about a teenage gang called the Jokers.