The Age of Innocence?
Before I started cataloging postcards, I thought I had a fairly good idea of what was in store for me: numerous souvenir type views of the greatest hits of everything … Continue reading
Showman or Scientist?
While recently on the hunt for the invitation to Truman Capote’s now legendary Black and White Ball, held in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel in November 1966, I … Continue reading
23 Skidoo
Today crowds gather around the Flatiron Building to admire its architecture and place in New York history, but back in the early part of the 20th century, men gathered there … Continue reading
The Education of a Young New York City Gentleman
I decided to check back in on Fairfax, and see what else he’s been up to since we first introduced him. If you aren’t familiar with young Master Harrison, check … Continue reading
A Trip Up Broadway
From 1916 to 1921, Arthur Hosking photographed Broadway, from its southernmost leg at Bowling Green all the way north to Yonkers. Here are some highlights, all taken in 1920 unless … Continue reading
The “Dimming” of Times Square
Close your eyes. Think of Times Square. Imagine all the chaos, the sounds, the overwhelming rush of humanity illuminated by the never-ending glow of neon and electric lights. Would Times Square, … Continue reading
Locker Room Grooming, 1904
In 1904, there was much rejoicing uptown over the opening of a women-only gym situated between Barnard College and Teachers College. The New York Times noted that the men at … Continue reading
The Sultry Showgirl
When Stanley Kubrick was a young man, he had the good luck to be assigned a job for LOOK Magazine that allowed him to create an intimate photographic portrait of … Continue reading
Doomed Dirigible Dock
The images in our collection don’t show dirigibles actually docking at the Empire State Building, because no dirigible successfully docked there. In fact, Christopher Grey in The New York Times … Continue reading
Circus
1948 was a good year for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The “Big Show” traveled from coast to coast with a coterie of performers and animals, encountering … Continue reading
Gender Bending in 19th Century New York
In the summer of 1836 in New York City, a white man named Robert Haslem met a black woman named Mary Jones on Bleecker Street. The two proceeded down Greene … Continue reading
Marching Ghosts
This striking photograph by Lois Hobart of several ghostly legs and blurred bodies was shot during the New York City Columbus Day Parade of 1945. The camera was set up … Continue reading
Who was Reginald Fairfax Harrison?
I recently came across the “Diary of Reginald Fairfax Harrison, for the Year 1883-1884,” while in the process of working with a researcher from the Central Park Conservancy who was … Continue reading
MCNY Blog: New York Stories 