Tag Archives: 1900s

Dr. Cole Helps Men To Stop “Wrecking Your Manhood” -1903

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NIGHT LOSSES THAT DULL THE MIND, WEAKEN THE BODY, DESTROY THE SEXUAL STRENGTH AND CHANGE THE MAN ARE UNHEALTHY AND SHOULD BE CURED

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 →

The Sexy Women’s Lingerie, Corsets, Nightwear & Undergarments Of The Early 20th Century

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What The Early 20th Century Woman Wore Under Her Clothes

Sexy Lingerie, Corsets & Other Flattering Clothing

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 →

Books About The General Slocum Disaster

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June 15, 1904: The Steamer General Slocum Is Consumed By Fire At Hell Gate Killing Over 1,000 People, Mostly Women and Children

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 →

Old New York In Photos #167 – Madison Square

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Madison Square Garden & Park circa 1900

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 →

Old New York In Photos #147 – Aerial View of Manhattan from Chambers Street 1903

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Looking North Along Centre Street From Chambers Street 1903

This stereoview shows lower Manhattan looking north from Chambers Street, circa 1903. The main boulevard on the right is Centre Street. Continue reading →

Old New York In Photos #146 – The Plaza Hotel With Interior Views 1909

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The New Plaza Hotel And The Suite Of John W. “Bet A Million” Gates- 1909

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 →

Old New York In Photos #141 – Children’s Recreation On Rooftops

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Children On New York’s Rooftops 1909-1910

Children playing on a roof in New York City April 28, 1910 from the series Living On (A) Skyscraper photo George G. Bain Collection Library of Congress (LOC)

In the early twentieth century the roofs of New York would offer a respite from hot days in New York. While roofs could be dangerous, the streets were full of peril with horses, trolleys and filth.

The news organization headed by George G. Bain sent its photographers up to the roofs to see life from this perspective. Continue reading →

Old New York In Postcards #26 – Broadway 1895-1915

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Views Along Broadway From Bowling Green To Washington Heights

Broadway and 62nd Street – The Colonial Vaudeville Theater is on the left, 1913

Broadway means New York City. Sure there are other Broadway’s in the United States, but none have the same clout that New York’s Broadway does. It is the longest street in Manhattan and one of the oldest. What the Dutch called De Heere Straat and later De Heere Wegh, became Great George Street under English rule. The street was paved in 1707, but only from Bowling Green to Trinity Church at Wall Street. After the Revolution, New York’s citizens began renaming streets and Great George Street became Broadway.

Here are some postcard views of Broadway dating from 1895 – 1915 Continue reading →