Born and raised in Brooklyn, New Mexico-based photographers David Scheinbaum (born 1951) and Janet Russek (born 1947) started photographing New York's Lower East Side in 1999, and have chronicled a time of extraordinary transformation.
Undergoing rapid gentrification into a "hipster" neighborhood, the future of the Lower East Side is now unclear. In 2008, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added the neighborhood to its list of America's Most Endangered Places, and many believe the cultural institutions and ideologies that established the Lower East Side are disappearing forever.
Throughout its history, New York's Lower East Side has reflected the cultural demographics of the city and fostered a rich cultural environment for immigrant life, becoming the home to many ethnic groups.
With this volume, Scheinbaum and Russek capture remnants of history through their intimate portraits of iconic places such as Katz's Deli, Essex Street Market, Orchard Corset and Streit's Matzo.
