Graffiti In New York City Editorial Photo

Graffiti in New York City has had a country-wide and perhaps even international influence. Originating in the New York City Subway and spreading beyond it, it has only recently became more tolerated by the city's authorities and recognized as an art form, as in its first years it was seen as an act of vandalism. Modern graffiti began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 1960s. Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker (nicknamed Yardbird or Bird) in 1955, graffiti began appearing around New York with the words Bird Lives but it was not for about one and a half more decades that graffiti started to be noticeable in NYC. Around 1970-71 the center of graffiti culture shifted from Philadelphia to New York City (especially around the Washington Heights area) where writers such as TAKI 183 and Tracy 168 started to gain media attention. Using a naming convention in which they would add their street number to their nickname, they bombed a train with their work, letting the subway take it throughout the city. Bubble lettering was popular among writers from the Bronx, but was replaced with a new wildstyle, a term coined by Tracy 168. Graffiti tags started to grow in style and size. Notable names from that time are: DONDI, Lady Pink, Zephyr, Julio 204, FRIENDLY FREDDIE, STAY HIGH 149, SUPER KOOL 223, HONDO 1, JAPAN 1, JOE 182, MOSES 147, SNAKE 131, LEE 163d, STAR 3, PHASE 2, PRO-SOUL, LIL HAWK, BARBARA 62, EVA 62, CAY 161 and JUNIOR 161.