Johnny Thunders and David Johansen of the New York Dolls, captured in a perfect slice of downtown rock ’n’ roll mythology — posing in front of Frederick’s of Hollywood, the lingerie landmark whose neon glow matched the band’s own mix of sleaze, glamour, and rebellion.
In the early 1970s, the Dolls blurred gender, fashion, and attitude long before it was cool. Platform shoes, lipstick, and snarling guitars made them pioneers of punk and icons of queer-coded rock style. This image — two Dolls strutting past a temple of Hollywood fantasy — says everything about their world: loud, sexy, and gloriously out of step with the mainstream.