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
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
In this advertisement from The St. Paul Globe of July 18, 1903, Dr. Alfred L. Cole does not explicitly say what condition he is treating in “night losses”, but it sounds extremely perilous.
The mores and morals of the time would not permit the condition to be talked about in polite society.
But, reading between the lines, Dr. Cole proposes to stop men from having wet dreams. Continue reading
Gimbel Brothers Department Store Catalog 1910
What was considered sexy 100 years ago might not draw the same conclusions today.
To look her best, the woman of the late 19th and early 20th century was stuffed into a variety of tight fitting and often times restrictive undergarments.
Much like today with online shopping, store catalogs offered goods of all sorts to the public without the need to first try on the merchandise.
Gimbel Brothers Department Store Catalog 1910
From nightgowns to corsets to petticoats to chemises to reducing garments, women could buy a wide variety of underclothing, never setting foot in a store. Continue reading
Crowd gathered around the recovered body of a child from the General Slocum, North Brother Island, New York City, June 1904 photo George Ehler Stonebridge / NY Historical Society
This year marks the 120th anniversary of a tragedy that has been mostly forgotten, the General Slocum Disaster.
If you are unfamiliar with the General Slocum and the inferno that killed over 1,000 people, we previously wrote about it here.
Delving deeper into full length accounts of the General Slocum, you have several choices.
A total of eight books and two government reports are solely devoted to the tragedy and encapsulate the story thoroughly. Continue reading
This magic lantern slide shows Madison Square Park looking north and east from 23rd Street. All the vehicles seen in the photo are horse drawn and the surrounding buildings give us a clue to a date of 1900. Continue reading
This magic lantern slide emphasizes Broadway’s position as a canyon of skyscrapers.
Today many of these older skyscrapers lining Broadway Continue reading
From the September 1906 issue of Success Magazine comes this article on staying young.
Is it as simple as city versus country living? Going to the theater erases age? Maybe if you see a boring modern Broadway show that puts you in a cryogenic-like state Continue reading
This stereoview shows lower Manhattan looking north from Chambers Street, circa 1903. The main boulevard on the right is Centre Street. Continue reading
This real photo postcard by Thaddeus Wilkerson shows the new Plaza Hotel. The hotel towers above its neighbors offering its guests terrific views of the city and the park. We are looking southwest from the Hotel Netherland on 60th Street and Fifth Avenue. The southern boundary of Central Park at 59th Street is on the right and on the extreme left is a portion of the Vanderbilt mansion on Fifth Ave and 58th Street.
The original Plaza Hotel on the same site was opened in 1890 and demolished in 1905. The new Henry Hardenbergh designed Plaza Hotel was much larger than its predecessor.
The original estimate to buy the site, raze the old hotel and build the new hotel was Continue reading