I’m taking the opportunity of the release of François Chastenet’s new book, Philadelphia Graffiti Handstyles, to highlight the incredibly comprehensive page he has dedicated to Philadelphia’s tag scene.
There, you’ll discover that Philadelphia’s distinctive writing style dates back to the late 1960s, when gangs used to mark their territory on the city’s walls.
Over time, some young people moved away from gang culture to focus entirely on tagging, gradually developing a unique aesthetic and instantly recognizable writing styles.This scene went on to have a major influence on New York graffiti. Cornbread remains its most iconic figure to this day.
Take some time to explore this page. Through an extensive collection of photographs, videos, and texts, it tells the fascinating story of a scene that helped lay the foundations of graffiti culture, yet remains relatively unknown in Europe.
