Growing up in Crown Heights in the 1950s and 60s, Arlene Gottfried loved to roam the streets. “My mother used to say, ‘Arlene—just don’t wander!’ Then I started wandering, but I got a camera because it gave it a little more meaning.” the photographer explained. “A life of wandering is really what it all is.” The camera, a 35 mm., was a gift from her father. Gottfried studied photography at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and began freelancing for The Village Voice and The New York Times. She captured people going about their lives—lugging heavy grocery bags, hanging out in the grittier parts of town. Though her work didn’t gain recognition until 20 years ago, when she was in her 50s, Gottfried spent decades documenting the overlooked corners of the city. She died of breast cancer at 66, in 2017. This retrospective honors a lifetime of wandering—and Gottfried’s images of those who would otherwise have gone unnoticed. —Elena Clavarino