THESE stunning photographs reveal the harsh reality of life in 1980s New York – a financially-ruined city riddled with gun crime and prostitution.

Legendary photographer Bruce Gilden took dozens of gripping snaps as he chronicled life in the Big Apple.

Gilden – known for his close-up shots of New York street life – set out to capture "the heartbeat of the city.

The pictures were lost for 40 years until Gilden found them when moving out of his Manhattan flat.

They were published this year in a new book, Lost and Found.

He said: "Some people complain about how I work, but I don’t understand why,” he continues. “I think maybe they should sit in their chair and be sedentary their whole life.

"Look, you’re on the street, people knock into you, people smoke, people do this, people do that.

"There’s a lot of things happening on the street and it’s not how you do it, it’s how comfortable you are.

"If you were taking a picture of me and you’re 40 feet away, I’d find you’re a sneak. At least with me, I’m there."

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