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Tagging
The first form of graffiti in New York was known as tagging. In the late 1960s, boys like Taki 183 started writing their names in the subway, on doors, and other public places In 1971, Taki 183 even made the New York Times and became the first famous graffiti writer in the city. -
Cornbread - A tagger
Darryl McCray, known by his tagging name, "Cornbread", is a graffiti artist from Philadelphia, he was the first tagger in 1967. -
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Competition between crews
The subway system provided an of tha hook line of communication between writers throughout the city. Crews began to compete on who could put their mark on most places in the city. -
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New styles
From 1971 to 1974, writers started using spray cans and making throw ups. Throw ups are quickly done bubble letters or very simple pieces using only two colors. -
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The buff
In 1972, the mayor of New York City declared war on graffiti. The New York authorities started what is known as "the buff" - a major effort to clean the city of graffiti. The years 1980 to 1985 stands out as a particularly tough time for writers. The buff had made it harder to find a location to write and the laws against graffiti became tougher -
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Spraying galleries
In an effort to control the writers, the New York authorities
offer legal walls called spraying galleries like 5 Pointz in Queens. However, writers also find new ways of getting around the buff in public places. On Staten Island, lamp posts are being plastered with preprinted stickers. In another part of the city, windows are being tagged with an acid-based cream that etches itself into the glass.
