The Year in Pictures 2017
People
What makes a city beloved are its people. What makes its people interesting are its characters. Look around. You probably know one or two.
From the photographers of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com

Two girls jump off the rocks at Devil’s Pool in the middle of the Wissahickon Creek on June 28. Read related coverage
CLEM MURRAY

David Hardy, cofounder and former CEO of Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia High School, cheers as he gets ready to hand a diploma to a graduate on June 13. Hardy, who retired this year, cofounded the charter school for boys in West Philadelphia, which required the study of Latin as part of a rigorous, college-prep education. Read related coverage
CHARLES FOX
Hear from the photographer
Behind the lens:
The Two Street Strut was almost history. When the Mummers Parade cleanup began, the dust, the light, and the silhouettes created this apocalyptic scene that kept me there looking for pictures. I was following this figure with my camera as it walked toward me when this amazing light fell on a face revealing Froggy Carr Club Wench Brian Murtha, still in his silky costume and carrying a can of beer. He looked like a soldier walking home proudly from a battle – in a dress. Now that's a Mummer!— Elizabeth Robertson

Fellow contestants exuberantly cheer for the newly crowned Miss America 2018, Miss North Dakota Cara Mundin following her winner's walk at the 97th Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City on Sept. 10. Read related coverage
TOM GRALISH
Hear from the photographer
Behind the lens:
I like this picture because I think it’s just oozing with joy. And that’s something photography is really good at. It hits you right away. I also like the anticipation in the picture — these are the “losers” reaching out as the newly crowned Miss America is about to join them after her walk down the runway. They weren’t acting for the TV cameras. Every single one of them in the picture is really happy. It reminds me that kind of joy is not only for the player who hits the game-winning homer, the kindergartner singing in the holiday show, or the coworker recognized for promotion, but for all us who are a part of what’s being celebrated — something greater than ourselves.— Tom Gralish

John Mills (left) and Paul Taylor of Mott’s Artillery pause on the grand staircase to take a picture on the opening day of the Museum of the American Revolution on April 19. The $120 million history museum at Third and Chestnut Streets was in the works for longer than the war itself, which lasted from 1775 to 1783. Read related coverage
DAVID MAIALETTI

Arielle Webster (left) and Judith Mendelsohn of Philadelphia dance to “Waltz of the Flowers” from “The Nutcracker Suite” during the Tchaikovsky Spectacular with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts on July 19. The couple were celebrating Webster’s 27th birthday.
ELIZABETH ROBERTSON

Hercules doesn’t need a doggie bag. The Gagne family dog peeks out from under a table while patrons enjoy a seven-course meal at La Maison, the family’s French country inn and home in Coventryville. Read related coverage
CHARLES FOX

A snow day is time to play for Kat O'Brien, 36, and her Bernese mountain dog, Fin. She was sledding in Chester Springs after a snowstorm on March 14. Read related coverage
STEVEN M. FALK

Yvonne McLean-Florence of Yeadon frames herself as a breast cancer survivor as she and her group of Sisters R Us, Circle of Survivors, begin to walk down the Art Museum steps as part of the Race for the Cure on May 17. Read related coverage
MICHAEL BRYANT

A man dressed as Waldo dances on the subway with India White (center) during the annual “No Pants Subway Ride” event in Philadelphia on Jan. 8. Read related coverage
DAVID MAIALETTI

More photos





Odunde founder Lois Fernandez (left) and her daughter Bumi, Odunde CEO. Read related coverage
MICHAEL BRYANT
Black history and identity were explored through the lens of joy for Black History month. The Black History Untold: Joy series featured personal essays about black joy, defined as the ability to love and celebrate black people and culture despite many challenges. The series was accompanied by portraits of those whose firsthand accounts were featured throughout February.

William Sharrar, 76, examines 11-year-old patient Brenda Isabela Romero at Cooper University Health Care in Camden on Aug. 25. Sharrar passed an age-related evaluation and continues to practice five days a week. Read related coverage
JESSICA GRIFFIN

Brian Belknap paints a mural his brother, Philadelphia artist Tim Belknap, designed for the wall of the Ulises bookshop at Front Street and Columbia Avenue in Philadelphia on July 15, 2017. Tim Belknap said the mural is pased on dazzle camouflage, also known as razzle dazzle, that was used on ships during World War II.
DAVID MAIALETTI

Jairus Martin, 24, rides his bike under the Spring Garden Connector Project, brightening the formerly dimly lit viaduct under the I-95 and the SEPTA El underpass. Read related coverage
TOM GRALISH