Tag Town: The Evolution of New York Graffiti Writing 1963 – 1982 by Martha Cooper

From Taki to Basquiat: discover the roots of New York graffiti in Martha Cooper’s iconic photos.

While graffiti has grown into the largest art movement in history, for every writer it began with their tag, the essential core of the art form. In Tag Town, renowned documentary photographer Martha Cooper traces New York City’s distinctive style writing from the 1970s through the early 1980s, capturing the development of tagging as the foundation of modern graffiti writing. Her photographs open the door to understanding the culture’s aesthetics and communication.

The book includes rare street pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Kenny Scharf, whose early work helped shape the rise of street art, as well as quotes from graffiti pioneers Blade and Snake 1. Long out of print since its first release in 2008, this photographic chronicle explores the evolution of styles, signatures, and street presence offering a vital historical record of urban creativity in public space.

Before street art went global, it all started with a tag.

About the Photographer.

Martha Cooper (born 1943) is an American photojournalist best known for documenting the early New York City graffiti scene of the 1970s and 1980s. Her photographs captured subway writers and street culture at a pivotal moment, preserving a movement that would later influence art and youth culture worldwide.

She gained international recognition as co-author of Subway Art (1984), a seminal book that became known as the “graffiti bible.” Through decades of work across continents, Cooper has continued to document street art, hip-hop culture, and urban communities, becoming one of the most influential photographers in the history of graffiti.