TAKI 183

One of the originators of New York graffiti was TAKI 183 – a foot messenger who would tag his nickname around New York streets that he daily frequented en route in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Taki was a Greek-American – his tag was diminutive for Demetrius, while 183 came from his address on 183rd Street in Washington Heights. On July 21, 1971, the New York Times ran an article about him on the front page of its inside section, titled "Taki 183" Spawns Pen Pals. Within months his tag was being mimicked by hundreds of urban youth.