Philadelphia in Color: 1950 – 1990

Hidden City Philadelphia

Forthcoming, October 2026

The first-ever color photographic history of Philadelphia

PREORDER

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.