Sara Rosen

"Only in New York, kids, only in New York."

American columnist Cindy Adams' famed bon mot could easily caption any number of photographs in the archive of Arlene Gottfried. Whether partying in legendary 1970s sex club Plato's Retreat, hanging out at the Nuyorican Poet's Café with Miguel Piñero, or singing gospel with the Eternal Light Community Singers on the Lower East Side, Arlene was there and has the pictures to prove it.

"Arlene was a real New Yorker who thrived on the energy of the city, roaming the streets and recording everything she felt through a deeply empathetic and loving lens," Paul Moakley, Deputy Director of Photography at TIME observes.