From the Detroit Publishing Company comes this lightly trafficked view of Fifth Avenue. By 1915 horses were being phased out of daily street life and a large portion of the vehicular traffic is motorized. Continue reading
If you imagine that in the good old days courtship always involved proper etiquette, courtesy and social mores you would be mistaken.
While combing through the archives of the New York Tribune we came across this article Continue reading
A frozen moment on a sunny winter day in Times Square.
We are looking north from 46th Street to the west side of Broadway. Before looking at the surroundings, check out the tail fins on the passing 1960 Plymouth Savoy automobile heading east.
You may notice the human scale of what Times Square once was. Continue reading
Today is Veterans Day. A United States holiday like many others that is taken for granted by far too many as a day off from work or just another holiday sale. Continue reading
This rare postcard view of The Vitagraph Theatre on the east side of Broadway and 44th Street shows the theatre’s marquee with people milling about a horse drawn promotional wagon.
The building opening in 1895 as the Lyric Theatre was part of the Olympia entertainment complex built by Oscar Hammerstein. Continue reading
Two prominent buildings on the east side of Broadway are the subject of this stereoview photograph taken around 1878: the five-story A.T. Stewart Store and Grace Church.
The view was taken from the western corner of 8th Street and Broadway. Continue reading
This stereoview published by Underwood & Underwood in 1907 says in its caption:
“Imported Americans”, shopping from push-carts in the Lower East Side, N.Y. City.
Although the neighborhood is unidentified it appears to be Little Italy with Mulberry Bend Park on the left.
This not so veiled aspersion of “Imported Americans” is typical of the apprehensions Continue reading
Go into the supermarket and examine just about any product. You will notice shrinking packaging and products. You are getting less and paying more.
Tropicana orange juice just shrunk again – from 64 ounces to 59 ounces to 52 ounces and now 46 ounces. Coffee is sold in a pound can, but contains about 11.3 ounces of product.
In 1954 the price of coffee was rising, and the answer was not shrink the cup, but raise the price. A 50% price hike to be exact, from ten cents to fifteen cents.
Even after World War II many places still sold a nickel cup of coffee.
The original news slug reads: Continue reading
Looking at this postcard of New York’s finest on horses my first thought was: where is this?
The postcard itself holds few clues unless you are an expert in recognizing mundane landmarks from 120 years ago. The card shows some buildings and the mounted police.
But there was a way to find out by taking a closer look.
Because this postcard was put out by the Detroit Publishing Company in 1905, there might be an original photograph held by the Library of Congress where much of the company’s archive resides. A search provided a clear match. And from that photograph the location could be pinpointed.
The most important clues Continue reading
This stereoview shows Lester Wallack’s Theatre located at 844 Broadway on the northeast corner of 13th Street.
Lester Wallack (1820-1888) is known today only by theater historians. But in the nineteenth century Wallack was among the most famous producer’s, director’s and actor’s in the world.
Wallack’s Theater was run by James and his son Lester Wallack. Over the years there were a few addresses associated with the impresarios, but the most notable location was 844 Broadway. The land and building was owned by Wallack’s partner, William Gibson whose name is emblazoned in large letters on the frieze near the roof. Gibson was a dealer in glass architectural and decorative fittings. Continue reading