Snapshots of the Past

The cheapest eating house in America a warm meal for 5 cts. / Copelin photographer. – Vintage Photo Print

The cheapest eating house in America a warm meal for 5 cts. / Copelin photographer., 1873 — historic photograph
The cheapest eating house in America a warm meal for 5 cts. / Copelin photographer., 1873. Historic photograph from the Vintage Stereoviews 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

This rare historic photograph captures The cheapest eating house in America a warm meal for 5 cts. / Copelin photographer. in remarkable detail. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

The framed print arrives ready to hang; the unframed option suits custom framing. It brings character to any room and makes a memorable gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past has been bringing history to the wall since 2001, for tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

The cheapest eating house in America a warm meal for 5 cts. / Copelin photographer.

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A sign promising "a warm meal for 5 cts." sets this stereograph apart, advertising a bargain that caught the eye of passersby in the Chicago street scene it records. The card dates to 1873, only two years after the Great Fire of 1871 destroyed much of the city, when rebuilding drew many laborers and cheap food was in steady demand. Stereographs like this were sold to be viewed through a stereoscope at home, so the paired images gave viewers a sense of depth and street life. The catalog record also links the title to the writer Bret Harte, whose name appears in the notes, though the record does not explain his role in the card.

Created / published1873
Medium1 photographic print on stereo card : stereograph.
NotesTitle from item. · Harte Bret 1836-1902.
SubjectsFood vendors--Illinois--Chicago--1870-1880. Exhibitions--Illinois--Chicago--1870-1880.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Stereograph Cards
Original scan4,401 × 2,543 px · prints to 15 × 8 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-STV-271216

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