Snapshots of the Past

[Street traffic in front of New York Public Library] – Vintage Wall Art

[Street traffic in front of New York Public Library], [1912] — historic photograph
[Street traffic in front of New York Public Library], [1912]. Historic photograph from the New York City collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

Few images capture their era like this historic photograph of [Street traffic in front of New York Public Library]. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. Perfect for a home, office, library or classroom wall, and a gift with a story behind it. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[Street traffic in front of New York Public Library]

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

The New York Public Library at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street had opened only about a year before this 1912 view, and its granite Beaux-Arts facade dominates the frame. The street traffic reflects the period, when horse-drawn wagons and early automobiles shared Manhattan's avenues. The building was designed by the firm Carrère and Hastings, and the Detroit Publishing Company, which produced views of American cities, recorded it as part of its broad survey of urban life. The title was supplied by cataloguers rather than the photographer, so the exact vantage point is left for the viewer to work out from the image.

Created / published[1912]
Medium1 negative : glass ; 14 x 17 in.
GenreGlass negatives.
NotesTitle devised. Listed in Detroit Publishing Co. negative log by Glover, 1912. Detroit Publishing Co. no. 036079. Gift; State Historical Society of Colorado; 1949.
SubjectsLibraries. Streets.United States--New York (State)--New York.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection
Original scan973 × 786 px
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-DET-80272

More from the New York City collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

Related pictures

Main reading room, the New York Public LibraryMain reading room, the New York Public LibraryNew York Public Library, New York, N.Y.New York Public Library, New York, N.Y.Detroit Photographic Co., 218 Fifth Avenue, New York,Twenty-sixth Street frontDetroit Photographic Co., 218 Fifth Avenue, New York,Twenty-sixth Street front[Seventy-second Street branch, 19th Ward Bank, public office, New York, N.Y.][Seventy-second Street branch, 19th Ward Bank, public office, New York, N.Y.][Traffic at Fifth Avenue and Forty-second Street, New York, N.Y.][Traffic at Fifth Avenue and Forty-second Street, New York, N.Y.]Metropolitan [New York Public] Library, New YorkMetropolitan [New York Public] Library, New York