Tanqueray

1970s New York City: Go-go dancers, The Peppermint Lounge, gangsters, Billy’s Topless, and Stephanie Johnson…

In 2019, Humans of New York featured a photo of a woman in an outrageous fur coat and hat she made herself. She instantly captured the attention of millions. Her name is Stephanie Johnson, but she’s better known to HONY followers as “Tanqueray,” the indefatigable woman who was once one of the best-known burlesque dancers in New York City. Brandon Stanton chronicled her life in the longest series he had yet posted on HONY, but, now, Stephanie Johnson—a woman as fabulous, unbowed, and irresistible as the city she lives in—tells all in Tanqueray, a book filled with never-before-told stories, personal photos from her own collection, and glimpses of New York City back in the day when the name “Tanqueray” was on everyone’s lips.

About the Authors

Stephanie Johnson is best known as "Tanqueray," the burlesque dancer who conquered NYC in the seventies and the hearts of Humans of New York fans in 2020. She lives in Manhattan.

Brandon Stanton is the creator of the #1 New York Times bestselling books Humans, Humans of New York, and Humans of New York: Stories as well as the children's book, Little Humans. His photography and storytelling blog is followed by a global audience of over thirty million people across several social media platforms. In addition to sharing thousands of stories from around the world, the blog has raised over $30 million for featured individuals and nonprofits. Stanton is a graduate of the University of Georgia and lives in New York City.