Snapshots of the Past

Main reading room, the New York Public Library – Historic Reproduction

Main reading room, the New York Public Library, c[between 1910 and 1920] — historic photograph
Main reading room, the New York Public Library, c[between 1910 and 1920]. 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

Step back in time with Main reading room, the New York Public Library, a historic photograph rich in period detail. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

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Main reading room, the New York Public Library

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The main reading room of the New York Public Library's Fifth Avenue building at 42nd Street was among the grandest public reading spaces of its era when the building opened in 1911. Its long, high hall was designed to give ordinary readers an impressive place to study. The Detroit Publishing Company, a commercial firm known for its views of American cities and landscapes, made this image on a large glass negative, a format that recorded architectural detail with unusual clarity. The picture is dated between about 1910 and 1920, placing it in the building's early years.

Created / publishedc[between 1910 and 1920]
Medium1 negative : glass ; 8 x 10 in.
GenreDry plate negatives.
NotesDetroit Publishing Co. no. 072712. Gift; State Historical Society of Colorado; 1949.
SubjectsInteriors. Libraries.United States--New York (State)--New York.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection
Original scan973 × 777 px
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-DET-73721

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