Frederic A. Birmingham’s 1960 memoir of New York, It Was Fun While It Lasted (J.B. Lippincott Company), describes a Harlem which few New Yorkers would recognize today.
The action takes place from approximately 1915 -1925, when Birmingham was between the ages of 4 and 14. Continue reading
This photograph taken by William Roege can be narrowed down to the autumn of 1913. Though photographer Roege engraved the year within the photo, he did not write an exact date.
We are looking at the east side of Broadway at 40th Street and the main clue to the time of year is the Empire Theater marquee which announces the appearance of actor John Drew.
John Drew
Drew was one of the turn-of-the-century’s big stage stars and the uncle of actors John, Lionel and Ethel Barrymore. Continue reading
With today being Christmas many Americans make their annual appearance in what was once a a weekly tradition. Attending religious services has been on a steady decline for decades. Continue reading
November 11 originally known as Armistice Day commemorates the formal end of World War I.
The Armistice which ended the Great War on November 11, 1918 was greeted with elation all over the world. In New York tens of thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate. The news slug says:
New York City – A cart filled with celebrants added the noise of their drums and cymbals to their cheers as they rode through the streets. photo: Wide World Photos November 11, 1918
The Labor Day weekend is over now and those who went to the beaches found it crowded on three mostly sunny and hot days.
Though the costumes and people are different, 111 years ago on August 3, 1912 New Yorkers also sought the surf at Brighton Beach. This photograph is by William Davis Hassler, and is now in the collection of The New York Historical Society.
A few things to note. Hassler’s camera Continue reading
Unfortunately none of Mack Sennett’s bathing beauties are identified in this photograph. Though I believe the woman second from the left is Virginia Fox, later the wife of Daryl F. Zanuck. Sennett employed Zanuck as a writer before he became a studio chief for Warner Bros. and later 20th Century Fox. Most of Sennett’s bathing beauties were anonymous. But some went onto fame, including Marie Prevost, Phyllis Haver, Carole Lombard and Gloria Swanson. Continue reading
A brief description of Feltman’s from The New York Hotel Record July 9, 1912:
The Magnitude of Feltman’s Garden Coney Island New York
One of the largest and most unique restaurants and cafés in this country is Feltman’s at Coney Island New York was established in 1873 (ed. – actually 1871) with six employees and it now has a pay roll of more thirteen hundred names. Continue reading
There is nothing extraordinary happening as we look north up Sixth Avenue from 31st Street.
There’s lots of horse manure in the street and there’s some construction and workers beneath the Sixth Avenue El. The bar on the corner has western saloon style doors and advertises Triple X German Liquors on its sign. A high pressure fire hydrant is on the corner, a sight rarely seen today as the city removed most of them almost three decades ago . The tallest building on the left between 32nd and 33rd Streets is Gimbels Department Store.
As much as we’d like to put an exact date on the photo we cannot. It is uncredited and labeled 1911. There is one intriguing clue however. It’s blurry but if you look at the roof of the building on the left you can see a billboard ad for Eva Tanguay (1878-1947) appearing at The Colonial Theatre. Continue reading
From a private collection comes this 1910 photograph of Fifth Avenue looking north from 64th Street. The tree lined west side of the street abuts Central Park. The residential nature of this stretch of Fifth Avenue can be seen by the abundance of mansions as far as the eye can see. Continue reading
This stereoview photograph taken for the H.C. White Company shows one of the many ferryboats that transported passengers across the Hudson and East Rivers.
We are looking east along the Hudson River towards the lower Manhattan skyline. A few notable buildings can be seen beyond the piers and terminals. Continue reading