In the early 1980s the recently renovated Galleria Mall was THE place to see and be seen in downtown Portland, Oregon. It was several stories filled with shops and boutiques, and on the top floor was the one place in town at the time where you could get espresso coffee drinks.

Inspired by Walker Evans’ street and subway photographs, in March of 1983 photographer Hans Hickerson positioned himself out of sight in the stairwells of the parking structure across the street and took photographs of people, mostly on SW Morrison Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues.

Opening a window into a past time and place, Hans Hickerson’s Morrison Street Portlanders represent their social and cultural context as individuals and archetypes. Unwitting actors and an unscientific collection of humans going about their business, they elicit our curiosity and compassion.