Snapshots of the Past

[Gimbel Brothers Store, Philadelphia, Pa.] – Historic Reproduction

[Gimbel Brothers Store, Philadelphia, Pa.], [between 1900 and 1910] — historic photograph
[Gimbel Brothers Store, Philadelphia, Pa.], [between 1900 and 1910]. Historic photograph from the Philadelphia 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 [Gimbel Brothers Store, Philadelphia, Pa.] in remarkable detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

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, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

[Gimbel Brothers Store, Philadelphia, Pa.]

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The particular thing about this view is the store itself: Gimbel Brothers, one of the large department stores that anchored Philadelphia's downtown shopping district in the early twentieth century. The Detroit Publishing Company, which made this glass-plate negative sometime between 1900 and 1910, specialized in commercial views of American cities, and its photographers often framed storefronts and busy streets to show the scale of local retail. Department stores of this era drew crowds from across the region, with multistory façades, large display windows, and streetcar lines that brought shoppers to the door. Looking at the street, you can see how central such a store was to the daily life of the city.

Created / published[between 1900 and 1910]
Medium1 negative : glass ; 8 x 10 in.
GenreDry plate negatives.
NotesTitle from jacket. H 359" on negative. Detroit Publishing Co. no. 034744. Gift; State Historical Society of Colorado; 1949."
SubjectsDepartment stores. Streets.United States--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection
Original scan973 × 796 px
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-DET-67554

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