Snapshots of the Past

New York City, view looking south from the Empire State Building, lower New York skyline – Vintage Wall Art

New York City, view looking south from the Empire State Building, lower New York skyline, c1931. — historic photograph
New York City, view looking south from the Empire State Building, lower New York skyline, c1931.. Historic photograph from the Daguerreotypes & Early Photography 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 New York City, view looking south from the Empire State Building, lower New York skyline in remarkable detail. It comes from the collections of the Library of Congress, scanned from the original and carefully restored.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. A conversation-starting piece for home, office, or as a meaningful gift. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Snapshots of the Past, founded in 2001, has served tens of thousands of customers worldwide.

New York City, view looking south from the Empire State Building, lower New York skyline

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From the observation deck of the Empire State Building, this view looks south over the lower end of Manhattan, where the densest cluster of early skyscrapers rose in the years after World War I. The building itself had only recently opened in 1931, when it claimed the title of world's tallest, and photographs taken from its upper floors became a popular way to show the city's scale during the Depression. The copyright notation in the record suggests the image was registered for publication, a common step for commercial aerial views of the period. Look closely at the dense grid of rooftops and towers, which shows how tightly the financial district and its neighbors were packed together.

Created / publishedc1931.
Medium1 photographic print.
GenreCityscapes 1930-1940.Aerial views 1930-1940.Photographic prints 1930-1940.
NotesJO 8948 U.S. Copyright Office.
SubjectsBuildings--New York (State)--New York--1930-1940. New York (N.Y.)--1930-1940.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,616 × 2,921 px · prints to 12 × 10 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-195047

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