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In the 1970s, Andy Sweet Photographed the Kitschy Vibrance of a ‘Fading’ Miami Beach

Photographer Andrew John Sweet was a boy from Miami who returned home after receiving his MFA to capture Miami Beach’s fading, but still vibrant old world Jewish culture of the late 1970s and early ’80s, from the unrestored art deco apartment buildings full of retirees that proliferated around South Beach, to the big hotels and their snowbirds up the beach.

Photographer Andrew John Sweet was a boy from Miami who returned home after receiving his MFA to capture Miami Beach’s fading, but still vibrant old world Jewish culture of the late 1970s and early ’80s, from the unrestored art deco apartment buildings full of retirees that proliferated around South Beach, to the big hotels and their snowbirds up the beach.

His photos celebrate the architecture, clothes, and emotions of the people of the city, revealing a culture that has in many ways vanished. Tragically, Sweet was killed in 1982, but a foundation created by his family, the Andy Sweet Photo Legacy, is resurrecting his work and planning on publishing a book.

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

Photo courtesy Andy Sweet Photo Legacy

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