passerby (passerbyarchive.com) is an ongoing photographic and oral archive documenting women since 2015—inviting reflection on womanhood, revealing what is often overlooked.
Since 2015, passersby from all over the world have welcomed photographer Clémence Polès Farhang into their homes, offering honest looks into their lives—the unconventional paths, mistakes, and small victories—as well as their book, film, and music libraries. Conceived from Clémence's curiosity about the women she encountered while people-watching, passerby was born from wanting to hear from the people who sat beside her on the subway, from those who served her coffee or passed her on the sidewalk. She set out to broaden the scope of typical media portrayals, asking the women she saw if she could come over and take their picture.
Read about the passerby project in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Servide95.
why become a subscriber?
Whether you’ve been with us for years or just found us — thank you. But passerby isn’t sustainable without support, and we want to keep going.
By subscribing, you get to support this decade-long project as well as get every new interview from the archive straight to your inbox, plus recommendations from our team and community, and upcoming events. Your subscription makes all of it possible.
paid subscribers get…
Access to our private Discord server with 700+ members sharing tips on everything from housing swaps to restaurant recommendations in Buenos Aires.
Exclusive content from our interviews, like conversations with inspiring women we meet worldwide (like Jarti in Amsterdam) and extras from our stories—like Rachel Tashjian’s take on what’s wrong with fashion and her advice for new writers.
Bonus recommendations from the passerby team and guest contributors such as Emilia Petrarca, Jessica deFino, Emily Sundberg, Hunter Harris.
Invitations to special events in NYC and LA, such as the premiere screening of Babygirl.
Discounts on brands we love, including FRAMA, Mubi, The Standard Hotel, and Laura Lombardi—up to 40% off.
Our complete archive of past stories and features.
A chance to be interviewed for our member spotlight series
founding members get…
The Founding Member tier includes all paid benefits plus special recognition in our monthly newsletter. This tier is for those who believe in the work, want to support it at the highest level and help ensure it continues to grow. Whether you can expense it or simply want to champion our work, your generosity makes it all possible.
questions?
If you aren’t currently in a position to support us monetarily, please send a note to info@passerbyarchive.com, and we will find a way for you to join regardless of financial hardship.
To talk about providing extended support or advertising on our platform, please be in touch with us at info@passerbyarchive.com
You can also make a one-time contribution via PayPal if you’d like to support passerby without membership.
