Iron Maiden 1981 (l-r) Steve Harris, Clive Burr, Paul Di’Anno, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray photo EMI / Robert Ellis
When this website began in 2011, I proclaimed that lists are stupid especially “best lists”. I believe they still are. “Best of” lists are always subjective.
But that doesn’t stop us Continue reading
Our stereoview photograph from 1903 shows Madison Square Park looking south towards The Flatiron Building.
A newsboy looks over his shoulder noticing the cameraman photograhing this scene. Nearby, a woman with two children by her side pushes a carriage. Continue reading
A tremendous flurry of construction in New York City occurred between the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. New Yorker’s know many of the the notable accomplishments; the subway, the skyscrapers, apartment buildings, bridges and infrastructure. But who built New York? And how did it get built?
Alexander Wood provides the nitty-gritty about how the modern city came to be in Building The Metropolis Architecture, Construction, and Labor in New York City, 1880 – 1935 (University of Chicago Press), 2025.
Building The Metropolis digs into the architects, unions, developers and the industries that made New York.
Even with thousands of books previously written about New York, Wood uncovers ground that has not been thoroughly explored. The result is an entertaining examination into the details of developing New York. Continue reading
The lower Manhattan Skyline from Jersey City circa 1914 showing (l-r) Municipal Building; Woolworth; Hudson Terminal; City Investment; Singer; West Street; Trinity; American Surety; Bankers Trust; U.S. Express and Manhattan Life. by H.H Tammen Co., New York
The thrill of viewing New York from the water was once a daily occurrence for hundreds of thousands of people. Until 1903 when the Williamsburg Bridge opened the only bridge crossing to lower Manhattan was the Brooklyn Bridge. The subway would open in 1904.
The majority of people arriving from New Jersey, Staten Island or Brooklyn would take a ferry boat. As building technology advanced, the view from the New York Bay, the East River and The Hudson was rapidly changing.
Over a 40 year period from 1892 -1932 with the building of skyscrapers, the lower New York skyline would become an instantly recognizable view featured in art, photographs and motion pictures.
Here are some postcard river views of the city. All cards were scanned at 600 dpi.
This card “New York From Hoboken” is not that sharp in detail but clearly shows two of the city’s tallest buildings circa 1900. Slightly to the left Continue reading
Because I own some old newspapers that report historic events, I was looking at the New York Daily News of August 27, 1974 announcing the death of Charles Lindbergh on the front page. Turning the pages my attention was drawn to the movie advertisements.
The ads are simple, frequently without captivating graphics and usually lacking even brief summaries of the plot of the movies. Besides giving the theatres and times they were playing at, these ads were supposed to attract potential viewers with the title, the stars or a reviewers blurb.
The disarray of the motion picture industry in the seventies is evident in the variety of films playing at theaters.
Adjacently advertised next to one another are Deep Throat; The Devil In Miss Jones; The Longest Yard and Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia. Two X-rated and two R-rated films.
Deep Throat (1973) was the first “mainstream” pornographic film. It was Continue reading
Lady With Pipe
London- Josephine Yorke, actress now appearing in the cast of the perennial musical, “Chu Chin Chow” has an answer to England’s current shortage of cigarettes. She smokes a pipe. Here she enjoys a smoke in her dressing room. PASSED BY BRITISH CENSOR credit photo: Acme, 8/15/1941
Smoking is not necessarily in vogue these days in England or most places for that matter. Vaping is what attracts potential new nicotine addicts.
Tobacco pipe smoking has also been in steep decline over the last few decades. Maybe not so for pipes filled with other illicit substances like weed, hash, crack, and opium. Continue reading
This 1889 view of Broadway north from Bowling Green shows the street before skyscraper construction would permanently alter the famous corridor.
We are dating the photograph by the buildings visible and most importantly the presence of overhead telegraph wires.
After the blizzard of 1888 caused wires around the city to come down, a movement to place wires underground began in earnest. Upon taking office in 1889 Mayor Hugh J. Grant immediately set upon removing overhead wires, sending crews with axes to chop down poles if the companies responsible for the wires did not promptly relocate them.
We see pedestrians going about their business as horse drawn vehicles make their way up and down Broadway. Parking does not seem to pose a problem and a wagon advertising “hams” is making a delivery on the west side of Broadway. Bowling Green’s original 1771 fence is visible in the foreground.
On the right with arched entryway is the nine-story Welles Building at 14-16-18-20 Broadway. Beginning in 1882 the Welles Building became the home of the Petroleum Exchange.
It make sense that adjacent to the Welles Building, in 1885-1886 the Standard Oil Company would build its ten-story 157 foot tall headquarters at 26 Broadway. Continue reading
Brigitte Bardot in Madrid, Spain, 1957 photographer: Peter Basch
Brigitte Bardot, who quit film acting at age 39 in 1973 to devote herself to animal rights is dead.
The Fondation Brigitte Bardot who announced her death did not reveal a cause, place or date that she died.
Her obituary appears worldwide, so we will not cover the details of her long and sometimes controversial life or film career.
What interested us is: when did Bardot first come to notice in the United States? Continue reading
A not very festive scene at City Hall. As the news slug explains: Continue reading
This publicity photograph comes from the ABC Television Network for the comedy series Bewitched. This episode is The No-Harm Charm which originally aired on ABC on Thursday April 25, 1968 and re-aired August 29, 1968 from 8:30 – 9:00 P.M. EDT.
Special guest star Paul Lynde appeared eleven times from 1965-1971 in Bewitched. Lynde’s first appearance was as driving instructor Harold Harold in 1965, However, after that episode Lynde had a recurring role in the series as Uncle Arthur.
In The No-Harm Charm Uncle Arthur gives Darrin (Dick York) a charm Continue reading
