These NYC Pride photos from the 1970s depict quintessential queer joy

The “Out of the Closets! Into the Streets!” exhibition at the Hispanic Society Museum and Library features decades-old Kodachrome photos of NYC Pride marches taken by artist Francisco Alvarado-Juárez.

There are a few Pride march staples you’re likely to find every June, dating to the first such events in 1970: massive handheld fans, ornate gowns, voluminous wigs and loving embraces. But at the “Out of the Closets! Into the Streets!” exhibition at the Hispanic Society Museum and Library in New York, there’s one thing missing — rainbow flags.

The photography collection, featuring 18 photographs taken by artist Francisco Alvarado-Juárez, depicts scenes from New York City Pride marches in 1975 and 1976 — just a few years before the LGBTQ flag was created in 1978. Alvarado-Juárez’s collection is a time portal in more than one way, though: The photos were all captured on Kodachrome film, an early type of color film that is now discontinued. The exhibition is on display and will run until Aug. 31. It serves as the second installment of the museum’s “Arte en el Alto Manhattan” series, which highlights upper Manhattan artists.