Gordon Parks’ Harlem – 1943

(via Retronaut) These photos of Harlem were taken by Gordon Parks, a young photographer for the Office of War Information who would go on to become one of the most renowned photographers of the twentieth century.  A few years after Parks shot these exploratory images of the streets, storefronts and residents of Harlem, he moved into the neighborhood and shot a photo essay on a 17-year-old gang leader, which won him a staff position at LIFE magazine – where he would work for more than 20 years.