Born in 1938, James Jowers received training in photography and darkroom techniques while serving in the United States Army.

He enrolled at the New School in 1965, where famed photographer Lisette Model became his mentor.

Working the night shift as a porter at St. Luke's Hospital, Jowers would spend his free time during the day roaming the streets of his Lower East Side neighborhood and the rest of Manhattan, capturing a gritty, funny and idiosyncratic view of the city.