Constance Hansen, a highly-respected visual artist with New York running through her veins, is the photographer behind a newly uncovered portfolio of work that reveals the real free spirits of 1960s NYC.

Clinton Hill, a section of Brooklyn that housed the prestigious Pratt Institute, was an area that began to become increasingly decrepit with buildings falling into disrepair as riots broke out into the streets amid the assassination Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Hansen, now better known as being one half of photography duo Guzman, the husband-and-wife team that has earned commercial acclaim in recent years, was on the streets in the ’60s, documenting the people left somewhat outside social restraints.

Studying at the Pratt Institute from 1969- 1971, Hansen said: “There was a whole other thing going on then. The ’60s vibe, the music, the Vietnam War, Civil Rights – everything was exploding. It was anarchistic. You just did your thing. There were a lot of artists, writers, poets, and people creating, very free and they were all deep in their work. I would be floating through and taking pictures.

“I knew this was my form and this is what I wanted to do forever. Photography became a diary and a visual way of describing my world. I wasn’t looking in – I was just in it.”

What did being “in it” look like? Well, a bit like this in images via Huck Mag:

(All images in this article were sourced via Huck Mag)