The South Beach photographs of Andy Sweet

Miami Beach resident proudly shows off her velour 
suit in Lummus Park. (Andy Sweet)
(Click here to enlarge)

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, photographer Andy Sweet roamed a the streets of a very different South Beach.

Long before the supermodels and movie crews showed up, Sweet shadowed So Be's elderly residents, photographing them as they went about their daily activities.

Then, in 1982, just as Sweet was beginning to make a name for himself, he was murdered in his apartment at 215 30th St. on Miami Beach.

From the Washington Post:

Throughout the 1970s, a young photographer named Andy Sweet documented the personalities of Miami in vivid color. In 1977, Sweet returned to the area after completing his studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder and set out to document South Beach’s vivid old-world culture. His subjects–predominantly the quirky, stylish, eclectic elderly residents, many of them Jewish–either grew up in the Miami area or were the snow birds who flocked there and found a nest for life.

Sweet died in 1982 at the age of just 29, but his vivid archive continues to epitomize South Beach (SOBE) culture and aesthetics. The Andy Sweet Photo Legacy was established in his memory and continues to display his work with hopes of publish a book of Sweet’s work in the future.

A well-dressed man crosses a deserted Ocean Drive. In the 
background, Andy’s well-used old car. (Andy Sweet)
(Click here to enlarge)

A big grin from a nautical character in the 
park. (Andy Sweet)
(Click here to enlarge)

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Miami Herald, Dec. 5, 1982: Andy Sweet | A portrait

Washington Post: Vivid 1970s Miami Beach culture: All quirk, no vice

Andy Sweet: The Miami Beach pictures

Facebook: Andy Sweet Photo Legacy