David Godlis is a street photographer who captured Miami Beach’s decline in the 1970s through a series black and white photos. The area was no longer the Jewish Disneyland he had visited 20 years ago.
Amazing photos show an elderly generation of sun-wrinkled Jewish immigrants in Miami Beach enjoying retirement.
Godlis captured pensioners relaxing on deck chairs while they ate dinner at Wolfie’s and spent some time enjoying the quiet on the beaches.
When he was young, the photographer went to Miami Beach to visit his grandparents from Russia in 1950s. He described the experience as “like visiting Jewish Disneyland”. Guardian.
Godlis, then 22, visited his grandmother at 22 years old to tell her that some of the magic was starting to fade from the region.
In order to capture the dreams of his grandparents, he captured black and white photos over a period of 10 days. These images were collected in Godlis Miami.
David Godlis is a street photographer who captured Miami Beach’s decline in 1970s. His black and white photos show how the city has lost its Jewish Disneyland feel 20 years before. This photo shows a woman standing outside a drugstore offering discounted insulin and cigarettes cartons.
The black-and-white photo shows two women dining at Wolfie’s restaurant on Collins Avenue. In his book, Godlis writes: ‘Whatever I did during those 10 days in Miami Beach worked for me. This was what I saw right away. It was only two years later that I photographed punks at CBGB. And have been doing it ever since.’
Lummus Park, Lummus Park: Two women are seen enjoying the sun with one another. Godlis writes: ‘I was going to photography school in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. Imageworks. Street photography was my obsession.
Godlis photographed pensioners relaxing on deck chairs and eating at Wolfie’s. Photo: Two women enjoy Miami Beach.
Godlis depicted a man standing at the beach, carrying a bag of shopping (left), while another picture showed a retired person holding up a poster from Lincoln Road Mall (right).
Amazing photos show an older generation if Jewish immigrants in Miami Beach enjoying retirement. Pictured is a group of elderly people lining up for a crossing at Miami Beach.
The Cinema Theatre is the largest and oldest art deco theater on Miami Beach. Vaudeville was featured in this theatre production, making it one of America’s most loved forms of entertainment.
Godlis photographed the Fishing Pier, Lower Ocean Drive. This is a photo of Miami Beach that Godlis hopes to document.
The man holds the little boy while holding a lit cigarette and his arm on his hip. As a girl watches, a woman snaps a picture with her camera.
The sun is shining on two women. The first woman is seen lying down on a sunlounger with her eyes closed. While the second is dressed in a white dress and sunglasses, she is enjoying the sun.
Pictured is a woman, walking her dog and sanding beside a Chevrolet Chevy II Nova. This is her leopard print outfit with large white glasses.
One woman holds her dog while the other poses with the group. One of the ladies is enjoying an ice-cream cone while sitting in the sunlight.
The man is pictured lying back on a sunlounger with attached umbrella. A man holds a newspaper while wearing dark-framed glasses.
Godlis Miami is published by Reel Art Press RRP £29.95 / $39.99 / €33.12 For further information and full list of stockists visit Reel Art Press.