About the Book
Philadelphia changed so much and so quickly between 1950 and 1990, and the rise of color personal photography meant that city life could be documented more widely and vividly than ever.
With PHILADELPHIA IN COLOR, Hidden City aims to understand how Philadelphians experienced the stunning societal shifts of those decades, and ultimately reinterpreted and redefined the city in response to them. We are driven to discover the city as it was, how it looked, felt, and represented itself, and how Philadelphians saw themselves experiencing it. What was Philadelphia like in the 1950s? What has been erased or forgotten? What happened during the upheavals of the ‘60s and ‘70s? How did the city try to reinvent itself in the ‘80s?
We’ve combed through thousands of images to curate these photos, sourced from newspaper archives, libraries, community organizations, professional photographers, and the general public. That’s what makes this book extra special: whereas photographic histories of other cities rely exclusively on the work of 20th century luminaries in photography, PHILADELPHIA IN COLOR taps the actual people and communities that lived the history they captured.
About Hidden City Philadelphia
Hidden City Philadelphia of CultureTrust is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring Philadelphia’s urban landscape in all its complexity through journalism and public history. Since 2009, Hidden City's aim has been to change the way local folks look at familiar places, and to illuminate Philadelphia’s often neglected post-colonial history. PHILADELPHIA IN COLOR is the latest extension of this mission.
The HIDDEN CITY DAILY, our online publication, acts as a watchdog for historic preservation in Philadelphia. We also delve deeply into architecture, urbanism, photography, public art, city life and Philly history. Our goal is to surprise, delight and inform our readers.
Hidden City Tours aim to change the way local folks look at familiar places, and to illuminate Philadelphia’s often neglected post-colonial history. Tours range from members-only visits inside extraordinary sites such as the vacant Red Bell Brewery, to walking tours that explore places such as Mt. Moriah Cemetery, the Lost Jewish Quarter, and Subterranean Philadelphia.
Hidden City Philadelphia grew out of founder Thaddeus Squire’s interest in exploring old estates, churches and factories. He went on to create the Hidden City Festival in 2009, which featured site-specific contemporary art and performances at nine obscure or abandoned places, including the Met Opera House and Disston Saw Works. A second festival was held in 2013 and in 2018, HIDDEN CITY DAILY co-founders Peter Woodall and Nathaniel Popkin and photographer Joseph E.B. Elliott published PHILADELPHIA: FINDING THE HIDDEN CITY (Temple University Press).
Hidden City received the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office’s Community Initiative Award in 2016, and the Vernacular Architecture Forum’s Advocacy Award in 2019.