Charles H. Traub’s colorful and spontaneous street portraits were made between 1977 and 1980 on the streets of Chicago, New York, and various European cities. They are direct, intimate and joyous; never exploitive. These remarkable photographs celebrate the whimsy of individuals Traub approached. The photographs place the viewer in a moment of fleeting mutuality between Traub and his subject. Lively pairings drive us from one set of quirks to the next, as we associate one individual with another in a new narrative of the street.

This book is the first comprehensive publication of these images, which were exhibited in the early 80s at the Frumkin Gallery, Chicago; The Hudson River Museum, New York; and Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Milan. His previous book Dolce Via: Italy in the 1980s (2013) sold out worldwide only months after its release.