Photographs of everyday life in 1950s New York City discovered in an attic 45 years later

When undiscovered photographer Frank Larson passed away in 1964, his wife Eleanora boxed up all of their possessions and moved out of their retirement home in Lakeville, Connecticut. The box of negatives was one of these items, and it has remained with the family ever since, tucked away in storage.

That was until Carole Larson – the widow of Frank's youngest son David – and her son Soren sorted through old boxes in their attic and found the negatives.

Soren said: "I had seen a few examples of my grandfather's photography over the years and always admired them – our old family photo albums have a few small prints of his work in them. My father also used to speak with admiration about his father's love of photography and his weekend trips with his Rolleiflex into the city to film places like the Bowery, Chinatown and Times Square.

"But when I opened the box and began to explore what was inside, I was truly shocked at the quality and range of the images, as well as the effort, dedication and love he brought to the task. When Frank died in 1964, I was only three years old and too young to remember this gentle, caring man."

Inside the box were over 100 envelopes filled with mostly medium-format, 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" negatives. The packets were marked by date and location, carefully sealed and left exactly as he'd packed them 50 years ago. Soren added: "As I began unsealing each packet and holding the negatives up to the light, it was like a trip back in time, back to the New York of the early '50s."

Following the discovery, Soren built a website dedicated to his grandfather, sharing the negatives-turned-photographs with the rest of the world. You can view more of Frank Larson's fantastic photography at www.franklarsonphotos.com.