Bid now on this one-of-a-kind piece from the Subway Graffiti Series, a unique photographic print capturing New York City's iconic subway cars as documented by legendary urban culture photographer Henry Chalfant between 1977 and 1980 — and later hand-selected by celebrated graffiti artist Mare139 for inclusion in a custom curated collection in 2011. Chalfant (b. 1940) is among the most important chroniclers of hip-hop culture and New York graffiti art.
His photographs are held in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh. He co-authored Subway Art — widely considered the definitive text on New York graffiti — as well as its global follow-up, Spraycan Art, and co-produced the landmark 1983 documentary Style Wars, which introduced the world to the underground art movement reshaping urban culture.
This print is a singular artifact from one of the most culturally charged periods in New York City history. Shot during the height of the subway graffiti era, it captures the raw energy and visual boldness that defined an entire generation of street artists.
The panoramic format — measuring 6.5 inches tall by 30.5 inches wide — lends itself to the sweeping, mural-like scale of the subway cars themselves.
The print is signed by Chalfant in pencil on the verso, and its designation as a unique edition means no other example of this exact print exists. For collectors of photography, hip-hop history, or American urban art, this is a rare opportunity to own a piece of New York City's cultural DNA — documented by the man who helped bring it to the world's attention.
Henry Chalfant Subway Graffiti Series 7

THE BDC USES COMMUNITY-BASED DOCUMENTARY PRACTICE AND EDUCATION TO EXPLORE VITAL ISSUES, STIMULATE CRITICAL THOUGHT, AND DRIVE SOCIAL CHANGE.
Learn more100% of the Net Proceeds (as defined in our Terms and FAQs) of the Hammer Price will go to a donor-advised fund (“DAF”) administered by Our Change Foundation, a third-party charitable entity contracted by Charitybuzz, which will then grant the funds, less fees, to The Bronx Documentary Center.