Cities

As a resident of New York, Camilo J. Vergara's pandemic photographs primarily document the changing landscape of New York City. However, as restrictions lifted and travel became possible, Vergara traveled to document the nearby cities of Newark, Camden, Elizabeth, and Paterson, New Jersey, as well as farther cities including Philadelphia and Detroit. The below galleries represent a selection of images from the different cities documented. For the full selection of images from each location, patrons can perform keyword searches within the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog using the terms "Vergara," "COVID," and the name of the city.

New York

A lone masked rider sits in an empty subway car in Brooklyn.

#3 Subway, Rockaway Ave., Brooklyn. March 17, 2020.

A hospital worker wearing a mask, scrubs, and face shield walks down a sidewalk underneath scaffolding.

Hospital worker, view east along East 149th St. toward Third Ave., Bronx. March 31, 2020.

A barber works cutting hair outside in an alley in the Bronx.

Getting a haircut, East 149th St. at Third Ave., Bronx. May 2, 2020.

Customers wearing personal protective equipment look at fruit at an outdoor vendor stand in Queens.

Fruit stand, 96-15 Roosevelt Ave., Queens. April 14, 2020.

A homeless person sits covered in a blue blanket and hood covering his face underneath the Woodside subway station in Queens.

Homeless person under the 61st St., Woodside subway station, Queens. April 29, 2020.

A medical worker wearing scrubs and a mask walks along a subway platform outside in Queens.

61st St-Woodside subway station, Queens. May 17, 2020.

The interior of a dry cleaning establishment is covered in plastic to protect employees from COVID-19.

Evergreen Cleaners, 2707 Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem. July 1, 2020.

People gather in an outdoor park with a Dominican Republic flag to celebrate a grandmother's birthday.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, the family celebrate grandmother's 66 birthday with family and the Puerto Rican flag. Claremont Park, Bronx. August 15, 2020.

A nighttime view of the skyline from the roof looking south onto Manhattan.

Roof view looking south from 535 West 110th St., Manhattan. August 31, 2020.

A view along Pell Street in Chinatown shows a mostly empty sidewalk with outdoor dining tables set up.

View along Pell St. toward Doyers St., Chinatown, Manhattan. November 30, 2020.

Masked pedestrians walk in a crosswalk in front of a COVID-19 testing line at City MD in the Bronx.

Covid-19 testing line at City MD. A woman is being carried to an ambulance. Jerome Ave. at Fordham Rd., Bronx. December 4, 2020.

Masked subway riders seen sitting inside of a subway car of the number seven train in Flushing, Queens.

#7 Train, Main Street Station, Flushing, Queens. December 29, 2020.

Signs warning customers of COVID-19 precautions are posted below a neon Farmacia sign.

Farmacia, signs, 972 Hunts Point Ave., Bronx. June 3, 2021.

Customers wearing masks walk outside of a Chuchifritos store in Manhattan.

Cuchifritos, 170 East 116th St., Manhattan. October 4, 2021.

A life-size model of a whale hangs inside of the Natural History Museum in Manhattan that has been converted into a vaccination site.

Vaccination site, American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West, Manhattan. January 22, 2022.

Newark

Detroit

Former Michigan Central Railroad Station, Detroit. June 28, 2021.

A man stands outdoors on the street alongside a table with food to give away.

Minister Bey giving away food he gets from supermarkets and muslims, 15874 Wyoming, Detroit. June 30, 2021.

A vaccination tent stands in a parking lot set up by the Detroit Health Department.

Detroit Health Department, drive thru vaccination tent, parking lot, Straight Gate International Church. 10100 Grand River Ave., Detroit. June 30, 2021.

A MedStop pharmacy displays a half-visible sign for COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccination, MedStop Pharmacy, 10041 Fenkell Ave., Detroit. June 30, 2021.

A street sign advertises a drive thru testing site in Detroit.

Drive thru testing, Rite Aid, 7th Mile Rd. at Wyoming, Detroit. July 1, 2021.

A pedestrian walks in front of a white building with red trim advertised as the Church of our Savior in Detroit.

Church of Our Savior, 12730 E. Warren Ave., Detroit. July 2, 2021.

"COVID, Crisis & Coping," Gratiot Ave. at St. Antoine St., Detroit. December 15, 2021.

A discarded decorative dinosaur sits on its side in an empty parking lot in Detroit.

Discarded dinosaur. Livernois Ave. at Tyler St., Detroit. December 15, 2021.

A mural depicting Jason Hargrove, a bus driver who died of COVID-19, is painted on the side of a building in front of a parked car in Detroit.

Portrait of Jason Hargrove, a bus driver who died of COVID-19. Fire station, Battallion Number 8, Seven Mile Rd. and John R, Detroit. December 16, 2021.

Camden

People waiting for the bus. Rand Transportation Center; City Hall raises behind. Broadway at Martin Luther King, Camden, New Jersey. July 30, 2021.

The former Camden Free Public Library stands closed and fenced off with green trees surrounding it in Camden, New Jersey.

Former Camden Free Public Library, Broadway at Line St., Camden, New Jersey. July 30, 2021.

A mural in bold letters on the side of a wall reads: CAMDEN.

Mural by Glossback, "A straight letter guy." Carman St. at S. 19th St., Camden. July 30, 2021.

Two posters with inspirational portraits of Camden residents are pasted to a wall on the street for the campaign

"Camden Is Bright Not Blight." Inspirational portraits of local residents by Erik James Montgomery, 37 Marlton Ave., Camden, New Jersey. July 30, 2021.

A sign outside for Woodrow Wilson High School states that the school will be doing remote learning because of the pandemic.

Remote learning, Woodrow Wilson High School sign, 3100 Federal St., Camden, New Jersey. July 30, 2021.

Students leaving school outside at the end of the day at Mastery High School in Camden.

End of the school day, Mastery High School, 800 Erie Street, Camden. Mask use is voluntary since early March. April 4, 2022.

Philadelphia

Vaccination advertisement, Department of Public Health. Allegheny Station, El, Philadelphia, PA. August 29, 2021.

Transit workers at the Allegheny El station in Philadelphia distribute masks on the train platform.

Transit worker distributing masks. Allegheny Station El, Philadelphia, PA. August 29, 2021.

Pedestrians walk by a mostly-empty intersection at Broad Street and Erie Avenue in Philadelphia.

Broad St. at Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA. August 29, 2021.

Food Pantry, Truth Baptist Church, distributing fresh fruits, canned beans, macaroni and cheese, and Milk. N. 15th St. at Belfield St., Philadelphia. April 5, 2022.

A woman wearing sunglasses and a mask stands on the street in front of a car on her way to run a food pantry in Philadelphia.

Sister Venessa, Director of the food pantry spoonsored by the Share Program, Mizpah Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 4355 Paul St., Philadelphia. April 5, 2022.

A pedestrian walks in front of the Freedom Theater in Philadelphia, which has two large posters showing silhouetted portraits of a man and woman.

Freedom Theatre, "To Chronicle the African American Experience in the Performing Arts," 1346 N. Broad St., Philadelphia. April 5, 2022.

All of the photos in this guide are from the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division. Camilo J. Vergara's photographs are used by permission of the photographer. For information on permissions and credit line, see the Camilo José Vergara Rights and Restrictions information page

Pandemic Diary: Camilo J. Vergara's Photographs Documenting COVID-19